Standardization Administration of China (SAC), Standards Australia Limited (SA), and Standards New Zealand (SNZ) signed a standards portal deal in Beijing yesterday.

(From left to right) SA chairman John Castles AM, SAC administrator Liu Pingjun and SA CEO John Tucker are at the launch ceremony for the Australia-New Zealand-China Standards Portal. The three sides signed a standards portal deal in Beijing yesterday.

"The portal we are launching today will provide the latest information between China, Australia, and New Zealand, and reduce trade disputes caused by standards," said SAC administrator Liu Pingjun at the launch ceremony.

The content includes key information on standardization processes in China, Australia and New Zealand, information on standards in each country, information on standardization work in all countries, and an update service from each country.

"We now have an important tool for helping businesses in the Asia Pacific region trade, invest and create beneficial activity," said chairman of Standards Australia John Castles AM at the ceremony.

The three-way portal gives each organization access to information in English and Chinese on standards important to each country.

"In some cases, standards set out these requirements, particularly in regards to electronics and electrical products," said John Tucker, on behalf of the New Zealand side at the ceremony.

The portal is the third standard following the China-US Standards Portal signed in 2006 and a China-UK Standards Portal signed in April 2008.

The SAC is enhancing its cooperation with other trading partners including the European Union, Germany and South Korea in order to construct a bilateral information platform, said Liu.

China and New Zealand signed a sweeping free trade agreement on April 7, eliminating overtime of tariffs on 96 percent of New Zealand's current exports to China.

Two-way trade between China and New Zealand currently is worth more than US$6.1 billion a year, with Chinese exports making up about 75 percent, according to Statistics New Zealand.

Figures show that 42 percent of Australian goods came from Chinese exporters in 2007, while a handful of Australian businesses export to China and more than 3,000 businesses are active within China.

(China Daily April 18, 2008)