Board of Directors Holds Historic Meeting in Chinese Capital
Building on years of successful cooperation with standards organizations in China, Beijing was the location of the 2006 fall meeting of the ASTM International board of directors. The board meeting, as well as other events, took place in China’s capital city during the week of Oct. 16, 2006. For a summary of the board meeting itself, see News of the Board.
The ASTM group made the most of its stay in Beijing, extending the visit beyond the time required to conduct the business of the board. ASTM International’s days in the Chinese capital included the opportunity to reach out to organizations headquartered in Beijing. Members of the ASTM board and staff set out throughout the city to call on Chinese officials of government, industry, and academia. Conversely, ASTM opened its doors to Chinese organizations, inviting mutual discovery and learning. These insightful encounters revealed common goals, created bridges, and left lasting positive impressions. This article summarizes the events of the week.
Opening Events
ASTM’s activities in Beijing were launched with a reception, which set the tone for the fruitful days ahead. More than 150 officials from Chinese and U.S. government and industry attended the ASTM reception.
ASTM President James Thomas welcomed the guests by affirming ASTM’s commitment to China, “Each time I visit China, I become more keenly aware of the deepening connections between ASTM International, the Standards Administration of China, the technical experts who work with us both, the business community of China, and the U.S. Embassy. This historic occasion is the latest indication of a dialogue and partnership that is becoming increasingly meaningful and productive.”
David Sedney, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in China, stated, “The decision by ASTM International to hold its board meeting in China is indicative of the role that standards play in trade. Standards can facilitate trade, but they can also become non-tariff trade barriers if used strategically through government laws, regulations, policies, or industry practices to protect domestic products from foreign competition. With a no-borders approach to standards development, ASTM International leads the way to a level playing field. ASTM has made a commitment to a standardization relationship with China. I congratulate you on the great enterprise that you are involved in.”
Mr. Shi Baoquan, vice administrator of the Standards Administration of the People’s Republic of China (SAC), was the lead representative of the Chinese standardization community for the evening. “I am pleased to meet new friends tonight,” he said. “The standardization experts here have done a great deal to promote trade. ASTM standards have a very high authority in China and are widely used.” Mr. Shi concluded by toasting the U.S./China standardization cooperation.
Mr. Shi also addressed the board of directors the next day, presenting an informative overview of Chinese standardization with statistics confirming the increasingly important role of standards in China’s rapidly growing economy.
China’s future in standardization is an ambitious one. The SAC executive outlined the long-term standardization goals and policies
of his country, which are to pursue two major objectives. Before 2010, China anticipates a working level of standardization reaching that of medium-developed countries, and before 2015, China aspires to be functioning at an advanced international working level. SAC is a leading partner in implementing this standardization strategy and measuring its results.
SAC and ASTM International signed a memorandum of understanding in 2004. With regard to the framework of the MOU and drafting Chinese national standards, Mr. Shi noted, “I am confident about
the continued cooperation between ASTM and SAC in the future.”
University Visits
Several ASTM board members and staff visited institutions of higher learning in the Beijing vicinity. Presentations were made providing overviews of ASTM International, relevant ASTM technical committees, and U.S. and global trends in specific industry sectors. These university visits reinforced ASTM’s academic outreach program, which offers free student membership.
Tsinghua University was the site of two visits. Located in Beijing, Tsinghua University is a national center in China for training engineers and scientists. This comprehensive university has 44 departments and more than 7,100 faculty and 20,000 students.
ASTM directors Julie Kilgore and James A. Horton, both actively involved in ASTM environmental committees, spoke to Dr. Xuehua Liu’s class in Tsinghua’s Department of Environmental Science and Engineering. Kilgore is a member of ASTM Committee E50 on Environmental Assessment, Risk Management, and Corrective Action and she is an instructor in ASTM’s environmental site assessment training courses. Horton is the chairman of ASTM Committee D18 on Soil and Rock.
ASTM director Roger Stoller, Ph.D., chairman of ASTM Committee E10 on Nuclear Technology and Applications and a member of C26 on Nuclear Fuel Cycle, addressed Dr. Wang Kan’s class at Tsinghua’s Department of Engineering Physics. Stoller is a distinguished research staff member in the Metals and Ceramics Division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and he is also an adjunct professor of nuclear engineering at the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor.
Tsinghua’s Department of Engineering Physics had just celebrated its 50th anniversary at the time of the ASTM visit. A letter of congratulations from ASTM International was posted on the university’s Web site.
Beihang University, the Beijing University of Astronautics and Aeronautics, is a research-oriented university of engineering science and technology with an emphasis on aeronautic and astronautic engineering. Beihang also hosted a visit from ASTM International.
A member of ASTM’s aviation committees, chairman of ASTM Committee F37 on Light Sport Aircraft, and vice president of industry and regulatory affairs for the Experimental Aircraft Association, Earl Lawrence lectured at Beihang University. He spoke to some 40 students, who are future pilots, in the classroom of Yi Xiaosu, associate professor and deputy director, Beihang’s International Division, School of Aeronautic Science and Engineering.
Industry Roundtable
An industry forum/roundtable discussion titled “The Relevance of Standards to Regulations, Trade, and Market Access” was co-hosted by the AmCham-China Standards Forum and ASTM International. More than 60 individuals, primarily representing multinational corporations, attended this event, which resulted in an open dialogue with the attendees and the ASTM chairman of the board and the president.
Following an overview of ASTM International, Thomas engaged the participants in an hour-long question and answer session. Discussion topics were varied, ranging from the diversity of ASTM’s technical committees, to the impact on China of out-of-date standards, and ways of speeding up adoption of ASTM standards in China through such measures as reaching out to ministries and trade groups.
In Conclusion
Anthony Fiorato, ASTM chairman of the board, summed up best the purpose and the results of the journey to Beijing. “The board of directors is ASTM International’s highest governing body. Our decision to convene in Beijing is the strongest statement we can make that China is important to us. It demonstrates our conviction that China must be vitally present at any table where international standardization takes place. That is what ASTM International offers to China and to every country in the world: a place to be heard, where interests are expressed and needs are met through standardization.
“Our partnership is made more meaningful and our friendship is deepened by virtue of this historic event, the first meeting of our board of directors in China.” //
Mr. Shi Baoquan (center), vice administrator of the Standards Administration of the People’s Republic of China (SAC), is greeted in Beijing by 2006 ASTM chairman of the board, Anthony Fiorato (left) and ASTM president, James Thomas (right).
The 2006 ASTM board of directors gather for a photo at the St. Regis Hotel in Beijing, China, where the board’s meetings were held.
ASTM staff and the executive committee of the board visited the headquarters of the China National Institute for Standardization. CNIS president, Mr. Zheng Weihua (left) was presented with a commemorative banner by ASTM president, Jim Thomas. The concepts on the banner reflect communication, understanding, cooperation, and friendship.
Mr. Lu Yansun, senior advisor and vice minister of the China Machinery Industry Federation’s Committee on Boilers and Pressure Vessels (left) and Jim Thomas discussed closer cooperation.
ASTM Board member Ron Siletti (left), corporate director of standards for IBM, is greeted by Xie Jun (right), deputy chief administrator of the Certification and Accreditation Administration of China (CNCA). ASTM board members, James Turner (second from left) of the U.S. House of Representatives Science Committee and Lars Flink (second from right), CEO of the Swedish Standards Institute, look on.
ASTM director Roger Stoller lectures at the Department of Engineering Physics at China’s prestigious Tsinghua University.
Professor Yi Xiaosu (seated, center front) and 40 of her future pilot students attended the ASTM informational program at Beihang University.
ASTM chairman Anthony Fiorato leads the discussion at the Industry Forum attended by 60 members of the American Chamber of Commerce in the People’s Republic of China (AmCham-China).
ASTM director Earl Lawrence lectures at Beihang University of Astronautics and Aeronautics in Beijing.
Barbara Schindler is ASTM International’s director of Corporate Communications and former editor in chief of SN.