Focusing on Seven Key Areas | Eight Departments Issue the “Pilot Work Plan for Promoting Industrial Optimization and Upgrading through Inspection and Testing”

Recently, the State Administration for Market Regulation and seven other departments jointly issued the “Pilot Work Plan for Promoting Industrial Optimization and Upgrading through Inspection and Testing” (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”), which focuses on accelerating the development of new‑type productive forces and building a modern industrial system. By leveraging the technological support provided by high‑end producer services, the plan seeks to comprehensively deepen the integration of inspection and testing with the real economy, marking a new stage in China’s inspection and testing service sector—moving from “isolated breakthroughs” to “system‑wide empowerment.”

According to the Plan, pilot project applications may be submitted to the recommending entities from now until November 30. Eligible applicants include national‑ and provincial‑level quality inspection centers, leading inspection and testing institutions, central enterprises or organizations undertaking national science and technology projects, companies that have achieved significant results in applying testing technologies, as well as county‑ or district‑level people’s governments or their authorized agencies, and management committees of national or provincial development zones or advanced manufacturing cluster promotion bodies. The pilot initiatives will focus on seven key areas: (1) enhancing the coordination efficiency and resilience of critical industry / supply chains; (2) accelerating breakthroughs and applications of key common testing technologies; (3) fostering a new ecosystem of digitally and intelligently driven industrial services; (4) supporting the green and low‑carbon transformation and upgrading of industries; (5) boosting the international competitiveness of advantageous industries; (6) empowering the tiered cultivation of high‑quality enterprises; and (7) creating new pathways for upgrading regionally distinctive industries.

The Plan aligns closely with the dual strategies of “building a strong nation through quality” and “expanding capacity and improving quality in the service sector,” guided by the principles of “innovation‑driven, seamless integration, coordinated collaboration, and integrated development.” It addresses bottlenecks and challenges across industries and outlines three core priorities: First, tackling critical technologies to ignite a new engine for industrial upgrading. By focusing on persistent issues such as “inability to detect, inaccurate detection, or slow detection,” the plan strengthens core technology R&D and forward‑looking reserves; deepens digital‑intelligence integration and green, low‑carbon transformation; enhances end‑to‑end capabilities in carbon footprint assessment and water‑ecology management; accelerates international mutual recognition of qualifications to help leading industries like photovoltaics and lithium batteries overcome trade barriers; and provides targeted support for the tiered cultivation of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises, fostering regionally unique industrial clusters and driving county‑level economies toward higher‑quality growth. Second, ensuring full‑chain coordination to forge resilient strength in key industries. To revitalize traditional sectors, bolster emerging industries, and nurture future‑oriented industries, the plan encourages inspection and testing institutions to integrate deeply into the supply chains of leading enterprises, promoting joint verification across upstream and downstream links, mutual data recognition, and collaborative problem‑solving to improve product consistency and reliability throughout the entire chain. It also extends inspection and testing services to cover the entire R&D‑manufacturing value chain, effectively enhancing overall supply‑chain coordination and risk‑resilience, thus achieving deep integration between advanced manufacturing and modern services. Third, strengthening inter‑departmental collaboration to build a comprehensive governance framework. This pilot initiative is jointly organized by eight government departments, streamlining application channels among industry players, central enterprises, and local authorities, and adopting a voluntary submission and self‑implementation model. Each department will coordinate the national layout of quality inspection centers, the development of quality infrastructure systems, and policy resources in ecological, energy, and related fields, working in concert to resolutely prevent formalism and ensure that the pilot outcomes genuinely serve the optimization of industrial planning.

The pilot program to promote industrial optimization and upgrading through inspection and testing represents an important step in the nation’s efforts to strengthen its quality infrastructure system. Interested enterprises and inspection and testing institutions are encouraged to proactively plan ahead in alignment with their own development strategies. The China Lighting Fixture Association, grounded in industry realities, will conduct an in‑depth review of key entities and testing institutions that already possess solid foundations in smart lighting, healthy lighting, carbon‑footprint accounting, and international Export activities. The Association will actively disseminate policy information and provide guidance on application procedures, while gaining a deeper understanding of enterprises’ practical needs in areas such as inspection and testing, standard‑setting, and supply‑chain coordination. By doing so, it aims to help businesses secure national‑level policy coordination and resource support, and deliver robust policy interpretation and communication services to empower the lighting industry’s high‑quality development.

Source: China Lighting Fixture Association