What is AQSIQ of China ?

AQSIQ  is abbreviation of General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China, AQSIQ is a ministerial administrative organ directly under the State Council of the People's Republic of China in charge of national quality, metrology, entry-exit commodity inspection, entry-exit health quarantine, entry-exit animal and plant quarantine, import-export food safey, certification and accreditation, standardization, as well as administrative law-enforcement.

AQSIQ has 19 in-house departments, i.e. General Office, Department of Legislation, Department of Quality Management, Department of Metrology, Department of Inspection and Quarantine Clearance, Department of Supervision on Health Quarantine, Department of Supervision on Animal and Plant Quarantine, Department of Supervision on Inspection, Bureau of Import and Export Food Safety, Bureau of Special Equipment Safety Supervision, Department of Supervision on Product Quality, Department of Supervision on Food Production, Department of Law Enforcement and Supervision [AQSIQ Office of Fight against Counterfeits], Department of International Cooperation(WTO Affairs Office), Department of Science and Technology, Department of Personnel, Department of Planning and Finance, Party Committee [PC] Office and Bureau of Retiree Cadres, In addition, assigned by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of CPC and the Ministry of Supervision, a Discipline Inspection Team and the Inspection Bureau resident permanently in AQSIQ.

AQSIQ undertakes to administrate the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the P.R. China (CNCA) and the Standardization Administration of the P.R. China (SAC). Both authorized by the State Council CNCA is a vice-ministerial-level department, exercising the administrative responsibilities by undertaking unified management, supervision and overall coordination of certification and accreditation activities across the country, and SAC, which is also a vice-ministerial-level department, performs nationwide administrative responsibilities and carries out unified management for standardization across the country.

There are 15 direct affiliates of AQSIQ as follows, which offer technical support for AQSIQ decision-making and implementing. AQSIQ Service Center, AQSIQ information Center, Research Center for international inspection and Quarantine Standard and Technical Regulation, China Bureau of Fiber Inspection, Chinese Academy for Inspection and Quarantine, China National Institute of Standardization (CNIS), National Institute of Metrology(NIM), China Quality Certification Center (CQC), China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment, China Special Equipment Inspection and Research Center (CSEI), Human Resource Development and Training Center, China Quality News, China Inspection and Quarantine Times, Standards Press of China(SPC), and China Metrology Publishing House.

The WTO/TBT and WTO/SPS National Enquiry Points of the P.R.C. are also located in AQSIQ.

Approved by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, 10 trade associations and federations are independently affiliated to AQSIQ. They are: China Entry/Exit Inspection and Quarantine Association, China International Travel Healthcare Association China Association for Quality Inspection, Chinese Measurement Association, China Certification and Accreditation Association, China Association for Standardization (CAS), Chinese Society for Measurement, China Trade Association for Anti-counterfeiting, China Association of Plant Engineering Consultants and China Association for Quality Promotion.

With purpose to perform the function of entry-exit inspection and quarantine, AQSIQ has set up in total 35 Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureaus (CIQ) in China's 31 provinces, near 300 branches and more than 200 local offices across the country, with employees totaled over 30,000 in goods distributing center at sea ports, land ports and airports. AQSIQ provides direct leadership to all the CIQs.

The function of quality and technical supervision is performed through 31 provincial-level Bureaus of Quality and Technical Supervision, which, being the working departments of the respective provincial governments (and of autonomous regions, and municipalities), exercise the vertical management to the Bureaus of Quality and Technical Supervision below the provincial level. The total number of working staff engaged in quality and technical supervision is over 180,000 across the country. AQSIQ provides the provincial-level (and of autonomous regions, municipalities) Bureaus of Quality and Technical Supervision with technical guidance.