AFNOR renews its commitment to Franco-Chinese relations and celebrates 90 years in Beijing
Olivier Peyrat, CEO of the AFNOR Group and Vice-President Finance of ISO (the world standards organization), has been appointed standards advisor to the Chinese government. He will contribute his expertise and knowledge of the workings of international standardization.
A French group, AFNOR designs and deploys solutions based on voluntary standards. With an international presence thanks to its 38 branches, the Group maintains close relations with China to promote standardization and its links with quality and certification. It has been present in China since 2005.
On the occasion of the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) General Assembly, to be held in Beijing in mid-September, Olivier Peyrat, CEO of the AFNOR Group and ISO Vice-President for Finance, has been appointed advisor on standardization to the Chinese government.
France, along with China and other major contributors, is at the origin of standard-setting initiatives that serve as a basis for the creation of international voluntary standards. This is notably the case for the French standards published on responsible purchasing, the reliability of consumer reviews on the Internet, and the quality and safety of electronic cigarettes and e-liquids.
Summit agreement
The shared desire to further strengthen bilateral relations and mechanisms for dialogue on standardization, for the benefit of the economies of both countries, took concrete form in two agreements signed with SAC (Standardization Administration of China, AFNOR’s Chinese counterpart) in 2013 and AQSIQ in 2014 under the aegis of the Chinese and French Heads of State, Xi Jinping and François Hollande.
Collaboration between the two countries has already taken shape in a number of areas, including urban planning and tourism. The initiatives are wide-ranging and, above all, long-term. In the field of standards-based certification, regular relations have also been established with the Chinese certification authorities CNCA and CCAA.
