Speech at the Inaugural Meeting of the National Laundry and Dyeing Standards Committee
Wang Desheng, Deputy Director
May 3, 2012

Leaders, representatives from all sectors, comrades:
Today, the National Laundry and Dyeing Standardization Technical Committee has been officially established. This is a major and joyous event in the development process of standardization in China's laundry and dyeing industry. The establishment of the Laundry and Dyeing Standards Committee has received careful guidance and strong support from the National Standardization Management Committee, reflecting the committee's high attention and concern for the commercial service industry, especially the laundry and dyeing sector; at the same time, the China Commercial Federation and its affiliated Laundry and Dyeing Professional Committee have done a large amount of solid and in-depth preparatory work for the establishment of the standards committee; during the application process for the Laundry and Dyeing Standards Committee, the Guangdong Provincial Standardization Association and Guangdong Laundry Association provided strong assistance; this inaugural meeting also received full support from Guangdong Tiantian Laundry Company and Beijing Funait Laundry Service Company; local laundry associations, related enterprises, and all committee members present have given active cooperation. Here, on behalf of the Department of Circulation Industry Development of the Ministry of Commerce and the Laundry and Dyeing Standards Committee, I express heartfelt thanks to the National Standardization Management Committee! I also extend my highest respect to the units supporting the development of the laundry and dyeing industry and to the comrades who have devoted their hard work and wisdom!
The Ministry of Commerce attaches great importance to standardization work. In the key points of commerce and domestic trade work over the years, circulation standardization has been listed as an important content. By the end of 2011, the commercial circulation field had 800 standards, including 591 industry standards and 209 national standards. With standards focusing on key areas such as "retail and wholesale," "business services," and "resident services," a standard system covering the main industries in the circulation field has been initially established, playing an important technical support role in regulating market order, improving service quality, and promoting industrial upgrading. Since the establishment of the Circulation Development Department in July 2011, circulation standardization work has focused on formulating development plans, strengthening legislative construction, and accelerating the formulation and revision of standards.
First, formulate development plans and streamline work mechanisms. In November 2011, the Ministry of Commerce officially issued the "Guiding Opinions on the Construction of Commercial Circulation Standardization during the 12th Five-Year Plan Period," clarifying the guiding ideology, objectives, tasks, and policy measures for circulation standardization during the 12th Five-Year Plan. At the same time, to ensure the smooth realization of main tasks, we have worked hard to strengthen cooperation with the National Standardization Management Committee and local commerce authorities, fully leveraging the roles of public institutions, industry associations, and standardization technical organizations, gradually establishing an open, transparent, efficient, and smooth circulation standardization work mechanism.
Second, strengthen legislative construction and regulate work management. The "Administrative Measures for Standardization in the Commercial Field" have been formulated and will be officially released soon. This is the first legal document by the Ministry of Commerce in the form of departmental regulations to regulate standardization work, marking a milestone for circulation standardization construction and playing a very important role in ensuring that circulation standardization work proceeds according to law. At the same time, according to the provisions and requirements of the "Measures," we will draft related work systems, clarify standardization workflows, strictly control the approval of standard projects, and conduct full-process tracking and supervision of the drafting, approval, and submission of standard projects to effectively ensure the orderly and efficient implementation of standardization construction tasks.
Third, improve the system framework and clarify work priorities. Addressing issues such as lagging standard system construction, unsystematic system framework, unbalanced structure, and incomplete content, we have researched and drafted the "Opinions on Further Strengthening the Construction of Circulation Standard Systems," focusing on strengthening the construction of circulation standard systems, enhancing the systematic nature of the entire standardization work, further clarifying key links and projects in circulation standardization, enabling targeted formulation, revision, and promotion of standards, timely identifying and filling gaps, and promoting coordinated and sustained development of standardization in various industries.
Fourth, accelerate standard formulation and ensure work quality. In 2011, the Ministry of Commerce organized the completion of 332 industry standard projects, accounting for 41% of the total existing circulation standards, making it the year with the most and fastest standard formulation since the ministry's establishment. This year, we will continue to work hard on standard formulation and revision. The first batch of 242 circulation standards has been issued recently, significantly expanding the proportion of basic, management, and service standards. At the same time, clear requirements have been put forward on how to improve the level of standard formulation and revision and ensure the quality of standard texts.
Next, the Ministry of Commerce will, according to the overall deployment of the "Guiding Opinions on Circulation Standardization Construction during the 12th Five-Year Plan," take the release of the "Administrative Measures for Standardization in the Commercial Field" as an opportunity, use the circulation standard system framework as a reference, focus on key areas and links of standardization in various industries, comprehensively manage standard system construction, implementation of the "Measures," standard formulation and revision, and standard promotion and implementation, striving to achieve further practical results.
As an important part of circulation standardization, the laundry and dyeing industry has great potential after the establishment of the Laundry and Dyeing Standards Committee and should focus on the following aspects:
First, establish rules and regulations and integrate resources. Quickly improve and perfect the committee's charter, secretariat work rules, and other work systems, establish an open, fair, consultative, and transparent work mechanism, integrate various domestic resources in the laundry and dyeing field, build an expert team, create a work platform, provide good services, unite and cooperate, and jointly promote the in-depth development of laundry and dyeing standardization work.
Second, strengthen standard development and launch a batch of basic general standards. Based on the actual development and needs of the laundry and dyeing industry, start from the aspects most strongly reflected by consumers and most concerned by society, carry out standard research work, and focus on formulating a batch of basic general standards to provide strong technical support for regulating laundry and dyeing industry management and improving service quality and efficiency.
Third, summarize and learn from experience to gradually improve the standard system. On the basis of comprehensively summarizing the practice of standardization construction in recent years, learn from domestic and international laundry and dyeing industry management and standardization practices, establish a laundry and dyeing standard system that is internationally aligned, meets the requirements of global economic integration, and is systematic, coordinated, and complete, improving the standardization, normalization, and modernization level of China's laundry and dyeing industry development.
Fourth, emphasize both standard promotion and formulation to promote standard implementation. Standardization construction is a century-long plan for industry development. Facts have proven that for industries and enterprises to grow and prosper, they must follow the path of standardization and normalization. The purpose of formulating standards is to implement them and to provide practical guidance for enterprise management. Standards shelved without implementation are meaningless. Therefore, ensuring the implementation of standards should be an important and urgent task for our standards committee. Multiple measures should be taken to fully mobilize enthusiasm and initiative from all sides, vigorously promote the implementation of relevant standards, and make practicing standards a conscious action of the industry and enterprises.
Fifth, track international trends and broaden the career stage. Closely follow international standardization trends in the laundry and dyeing field, actively participate in related international activities, strengthen international exchanges and cooperation, safeguard national interests, and at the same time, according to domestic needs, strive to propose some international standard projects in this industry and endeavor to play a leading role in the formulation of related international standards.
The Standards Committee holds a dual responsibility for me. Being part of the Department of Circulation Standardization at the Ministry of Commerce, we will strive to support the construction and development of the Standards Committee, fully leveraging the role of the Laundry and Dyeing Committee as the executive department of the Secretariat. As a member of the Laundry and Dyeing Industry Standards Committee, I feel a great sense of responsibility, full of confidence and expectation. I hope that the China General Chamber of Commerce, as the undertaking unit of the Laundry and Dyeing Standards Committee Secretariat, will continue to support the work of the Laundry and Dyeing Standards Committee as always; I also hope that local laundry and dyeing industry associations, enterprises, and related institutions will provide comprehensive support and cooperation to the Laundry and Dyeing Standards Committee.
Representatives and comrades: The laundry and dyeing industry, as one of the industries closest to people's livelihood, has broad development space with the improvement of people's living standards and the socialization of household labor, and the standardization construction is full of hope. With strong support from all sides and the joint efforts of all members and experts of the Standards Committee, the laundry and dyeing standardization work will surely achieve new development, make new leaps, and actively contribute to improving the overall level of China's laundry and dyeing industry.
Thank you all!

May 2, 2012