To a large extent, this has happened without the support of institutional and regulatory structures that, in the view established in industrialized countries, would be the pillars of an efficient economic system. Without distinction, an efficient economic system depends on a properly structured and effective system of technical norms and standards.
This article is an introduction to the role of technical standards and regulations in international trade. It examines the peculiarities of the Chinese presence in trade agreements and the recent reform of the Chinese technical regulatory environment and offers some reflections on the possible impacts that the Asian country’s options may have on the global economic environment and trade governance with the following question in perspective: will there be a Chinese mode of technical standardization?
