On 1 December 2023 the State Council executive meeting identified measures to accelerate the integration of domestic and foreign trade. It called for benchmarking against advanced international practice, adjusting domestic rules, regulation, management and standards, aligning standards, inspection, certification and supervision, and promoting products made on the same line to the same standard and quality for both markets.
For companies selling both at home and abroad, this is not a new slogan but a system that must reach products, certifications and contracts. “Same line, same standard, same quality” requires standards, testing, labelling and liability to be realigned.
Why integration now
Export and domestic products have often been made to different standards: exports to destination-country standards, domestic sales to Chinese standards. Two parallel systems mean that the same company, on the same line, cannot freely switch between markets.
The goal is to let companies meet both domestic and foreign requirements on one quality capability. It is not a lowering of standards, but a reduction of duplicate certification, switching time and institutional cost.
Aligning standards and certification
First, standards comparison. Companies should compare destination standards with domestic standards item by item and identify differences in safety indicators, environmental requirements, labelling and test methods.
Second, test reports. Whether an export test report is accepted domestically depends on laboratory qualification, test methods and validity. Companies should confirm in advance to avoid duplicate testing.
Third, certification conversion. Some products require compulsory domestic certification. Export products sold domestically may need supplementary certification or difference testing. Certification time should be built into launch plans.
Fourth, labels and instructions. Domestic labelling requirements differ from export labels in language, ingredients, warnings and manufacturer information. Labelling is the most common low-risk, high-frequency problem in export-to-domestic sales.
Proving same line, same standard, same quality
The claim is not marketing language but a fact to be proven. Companies should retain production line and process descriptions, the list of applicable standards, test reports, quality-management documents and batch traceability records.
A product claiming same line, same standard and same quality while actually applying different standards may mislead. For consumer products, such claims require particular care.
Four recommendations
First, build a product-standard matrix by product, destination, standard number, difference and testing requirement. It becomes the base document for market switching.
Second, put certification time into plans. Export-to-domestic sale is not a matter of changing packaging; certification, testing and labelling take time.
Third, review standard clauses in contracts. Procurement and distribution agreements should specify applicable standards, acceptance methods and liability allocation.
Fourth, check intellectual property. Switching markets may involve trademarks, designs and packaging rights in different jurisdictions. Companies should confirm domestic rights to avoid infringement.
For product standards, certification and market access, see our business licensing service; for procurement and distribution contracts, see commercial contracts; for trademarks and packaging rights, see intellectual property.
This article is based on public reporting of the State Council executive meeting on 1 December 2023 concerning the integration of domestic and foreign trade. It is for reference only and does not constitute legal advice.