Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam emphasized the opening of the 5th China Quality Conference, which centered on the theme of cooperation in economic recovery that “Quality infrastructure supports the resilience of world trade by building and maintaining trust across value chains,” and “Investing in efficient supply chains is one of the important tools to support resilience,”.
Quality infrastructure is central because it fosters trust among trading partners and facilitates private-sector collaboration. So that, investment in quality infrastructure and ensuring interoperability of product standards are essential to fostering resilience in global supply chains. Quality infrastructure refers to the system of organizations (public and private), policies, relevant legal and regulatory framework, and practices needed to support and enhance the quality, safety and environmental soundness of goods, services and processes. This infrastructure is needed for the effective operation of domestic markets, and its international recognition is important to enable access to foreign markets.
International standards allow supply chains to “talk” to each other — they operate across borders, much like a shared language. Beyond ensuring compatibility between components and final products, standards capture best practices for safety, quality, and efficiency. When one country’s intermediary goods meet international standards, manufacturers elsewhere can seamlessly integrate them into the final products, boosting trust and cutting costs. DDG Paugam echoed the importance of connectivity and optimizing supply chain operations through various means, from logistics and communication infrastructure to customs and information technology.
Look back time during the COVID-19 pandemic, differences in standards limited access to masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) and delayed vaccine approval. The whole world’s health was effected.
On climate, there were WTO discussions on decarbonization involved stakeholders from sectors like iron and steel. These underlined the necessity for transparent and consistent standards, easing the transition to low-carbon solutions. In the realm of the digital economy, officials at the WTO have recently delved into diverse topics, including cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
Finally, the solution to these challenges, he stressed, is more cooperation, not less, he said.
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