The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has introduced a major policy shift with the release of the Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Digital Development of Quality Certification. This initiative promotes the widespread use of “digital credit labels” across diverse sectors, including agricultural products, smart vehicles, and elderly care equipment.
More than just a technological update, this framework represents institutional innovation, designed to make quality certification faster, more transparent, and aligned with the needs of China’s rapidly evolving digital economy.
Trust as the Foundation of Quality Certification
Quality certification has long been central to connecting government, enterprises, markets, and consumers. By offering professional and authoritative evaluations, certification systems provide assurance to all stakeholders.
As China’s economy diversifies and consumer demands grow more complex, this role has become increasingly important. The transition to digital certification ensures that it continues to serve as a reliable benchmark for product safety, quality, and performance in a marketplace that is increasingly digital.
Why Digitalization Matters
Traditional certification processes have struggled to keep pace with industrial development. Data has often remained siloed, sharing has been limited, and evaluations have lagged behind the rapid evolution of new industries. In a digital economy, such inefficiencies create friction for businesses and uncertainty for consumers.
Digital certification addresses these challenges directly. By incorporating technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and big data analytics, the process becomes more adaptive, transparent, and efficient. For consumers, a simple QR code scan can provide complete traceability, covering raw materials, inspection, and distribution.
The Roadmap: 2030 and Beyond
The Guiding Opinions outline a two-phase roadmap. By 2030, the focus is on system design, establishing evaluation rules, creating technical specifications, and piloting digital transformation in key industries. By 2035, the aim is to build a fully operational, hierarchical, and innovative digital certification system that strengthens China’s quality infrastructure and meets the demands of future industrial development.
Target Industries and Applications
Digital certification will impact both industrial production and consumer markets.
In manufacturing, it will support the shift to intelligent, green, and precision-driven production. Industries such as the industrial internet, smart agriculture, and water management will benefit from certification systems that ensure traceability, resource efficiency, and compliance with sustainability standards.
The service sector is also a key focus. Certification will extend to education, healthcare, elderly care, financial technology, and smart city initiatives. These efforts will create a robust certification ecosystem that fosters innovation, safeguards data, and builds consumer confidence.
From Complexity to Simplicity
Although the introduction of digital certification systems may appear complex, the ultimate goal is to simplify trust and decision-making. Consumers will have immediate access to transparent, verifiable information, whether purchasing vehicles, selecting healthcare products, or investing in elderly care equipment. For businesses, this shift means competing on the basis of verified quality, while consumers benefit from reduced uncertainty and greater accountability.
Looking Ahead
The digital credit label represents more than a regulatory upgrade. It is a cornerstone of China’s effort to align its quality infrastructure with the demands of a smart, trust-based economy. Enterprises face both challenges and opportunities: while compliance requirements will become stricter, those who adapt early stand to gain a significant advantage in trust-driven markets.
As China approaches its 2030 and 2035 milestones, the digitalization of quality certification will influence consumer behavior, strengthen accountability, and play a central role in advancing high-quality, innovation-led growth.