On Dec 30, the State Council issued a circular regarding the construction and development plan of a national standardization system by 2020.

Standards are fundamental to economic activities and social development. They are also the basis for national governance and the modernization of governance, the circular said.

Despite rapid development since China’s reform and opening-up, standardization still lags behind economic and social development.

The plan, part of the efforts to promote the economy to a medium-to-high level, involves standards in sectors such as agriculture, industry, service industry, education, food, medical care, environment protection, culture, and government administration.

Take the agricultural industry for example. In order to promote agriculture modernization, the plan will establish modern agricultural production standards that cover production, processing, and circulation.

The standards will be made not only by the government but also the market and the average period of making standards will be narrowed down to less than 24 months, according to the plan.

A total of 9,000 standard items will be made in major sectors concerning agricultural commodity security, energy conservation and emission reduction, intelligent manufacturing and equipment upgrades, and new materials.