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China Releases 515 National Standards: What Foreign Founders Need to Know

China's SAMR has approved 515 national standards covering AI, semiconductors, traditional industries, safety, and consumer products. Here’s how foreign founders can use them to guide product compliance and operations in China.

China’s New Batch of National Standards: A Practical Guide for Foreign Founders

In October 2026, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), which also acts as the National Standardization Administration, approved and published 515 important national standards and national standardization guiding technical documents. The package includes 10 mandatory national standards, 466 recommended national standards, and 39 guiding technical documents. They span high-tech fields, traditional industries, work safety, and everyday consumer life.

For foreign founders registering or operating a company in China, these standards are not just technical documents—they signal where regulators are focusing, what product requirements may apply, and how to align your China operations with national priorities. Below is a breakdown of the key areas and practical implications.

High-Tech Standards: AI, Semiconductors, and New Energy

The high-tech category accounts for a significant portion of the new standards, focusing on safety, interoperability, and quality benchmarks. Foreign founders in these sectors should pay close attention.

Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

Sixteen national standards cover artificial intelligence, humanoid robots, and industrial environment robots. They address AI system safety and robot technical requirements. The stated goal is to set safety baselines and unify technical specifications to support high-quality development of the robotics and AI industries.

• AI system safety: Standards likely include risk assessment and security measures. Founders developing AI products should review these to ensure compliance.
• Robot technical requirements: Humanoid and industrial robots must meet certain technical norms. This is relevant for companies manufacturing or deploying robots in China.

Semiconductors and Integrated Circuits

Fourteen standards cover semiconductor devices and integrated circuits. They aim to regulate the semiconductor industry, strengthen supply chain resilience, and support technological self-reliance. Foreign founders in chip design or manufacturing should note these standards as they may affect product certification and market access.

Optoelectronic and Intelligent Computing

Seven standards address optoelectronic computing and intelligent computing. They regulate fields such as optoelectronic computing and intelligent computing clusters, unify evaluation benchmarks, and aim to consolidate computing infrastructure. If your company provides computing services or hardware, these benchmarks may become relevant for procurement or partnership requirements.

Photovoltaics and New Energy Storage

Four standards cover photovoltaics and new energy storage, specifying technical requirements to support safe and efficient development of new energy. Founders in renewable energy should ensure their products meet these standards for market acceptance.

Traditional Industries: Shipbuilding, Aerospace, and Manufacturing

Standards for traditional industries focus on quality upgrades, green transition, and safety. Foreign founders in these sectors can use them to benchmark their China-made components or operations.

Ship and Marine Engineering

Twenty-five standards cover marine diesel generator sets, marine check valves, and general requirements for remote operation and maintenance systems for offshore platforms. They provide standard support for research and development, safe operation, and green transformation of ships and marine engineering equipment.

Aerospace

Twelve standards cover aircraft static converters and terminology for civil aircraft powerplant systems. These provide technical criteria for the design and manufacture of aerospace-related products. Founders in aerospace supply chains should align with these standards for component qualification.

Equipment Manufacturing

Forty-nine standards cover rolling bearings, reciprocating internal combustion engines, and EDM machines, aiming to improve the quality of core components in equipment manufacturing. This is relevant for companies sourcing or producing machinery in China.

Building Materials

Twenty-six standards cover photovoltaic glass, concrete, and cement, supporting the green and low-carbon transformation of the building materials industry. Founders in construction or materials should note these for compliance and sustainability goals.

Raw Materials

Eleven standards cover steel and alloys, non-ferrous metal materials, and vanadium-titanium magnetite, strengthening quality assurance for basic raw materials. This affects quality control for manufacturers relying on these inputs.

Work Safety and Public Security

Safety standards are critical for any company operating in China, as non-compliance can lead to penalties or operational disruptions.

Public Safety Mandatory Standards

Seven mandatory national standards focus on public safety, including spatiotemporal data security for intelligent connected vehicles and fire safety. They address data protection for intelligent connected vehicles and urban-rural fire risk prevention, further refining data security baselines, fire product and site management rules, and promoting finer-grained urban safety governance.

• Intelligent connected vehicle data: If you operate in the automotive sector, these mandatory standards will affect data handling and privacy.
• Fire safety: Relevant for facility management and product certification.

Social Governance Standards

Eight national standards cover hazardous explosives management, urban public facility operation and maintenance, and forest and grassland fire prevention. Three guiding technical documents accompany them, covering community and business continuity resilience. They focus on grassroots safety control and risk resistance, standardize operation and maintenance requirements, refine reconstruction planning and emergency plan preparation processes, and promote a shift toward preventive safety management.

Everyday Life: Consumer Products and Services

Standards affecting consumer products can influence market access and consumer trust. Foreign founders in consumer goods or services should review these.

Food and Consumer Goods

A national standard for names of spices and condiments regulates Chinese and English names and used parts of plant-based spice products. Twelve standards for paper products, including toilet paper and wallpaper, optimize product performance and quality to meet high-quality consumer demand.

Education and Sports

Six education service standards cover elderly learning and educational organizations, clarifying management systems and service requirements for elderly learners. They support building vocational education brands and promoting deep cooperation between Chinese and foreign vocational education. Two standards cover sports equipment, such as cycling sports glasses and esports equipment configuration, aiming to guide and expand sports and fitness consumption.

Practical Steps for Foreign Founders

So, what should you do with this information? Here are actionable steps:

• Identify relevant standards: Map your products or services to the categories above. For example, if you make AI software, review the AI system safety standards.
• Assess compliance gaps: Compare your current specifications with the new standards. Mandatory standards require immediate attention; recommended standards may be adopted voluntarily but can affect market acceptance.
• Engage with Chinese partners: Standards often form the basis for procurement and contracts. Ensure your local partners are aware of updates.
• Monitor implementation: Standards may have transition periods. Check SAMR announcements for effective dates.
• Seek professional advice: For complex areas like AI or automotive data, consider consulting with local experts.

These standards reflect China’s regulatory priorities and can serve as a roadmap for product development and market entry. By aligning early, foreign founders can reduce compliance risks and build trust with Chinese regulators and consumers.

For assistance with company registration and ongoing compliance in China, foreign founders can contact ChinaMNC on WhatsApp / WeChat at +86 153 1898 8535.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.