The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine ("AQSIQ") has recently issued the Action Plan for the Program of "Quality Inspection Sword" in 2018 (the "Plan").
According to the Plan, authorities of quality inspection will carry out the program of "quality inspection sword" to curb counterfeit products in fields like consumer goods, agricultural means of production, construction materials, auto spare parts, gasoline and diesel, and deepen the intensive rectification program to address problems existing in consumer goods, means of production, and the e-commerce product segment in particular. The Plan notes that law enforcement inspections will be conducted among auto spare part manufacturers, focusing on such products as the batteries and tires, with rigorous investigations into violations, such as the unlicensed manufacturing, failure to meet required standards, the release of unauthenticated products from the factory, and falsification or fraudulent use of the name or address of a factory of another producer. Also, illegalities relating to gasoline and diesel, including the failure to meet national standards, adulteration, false gasoline or diesel brands or labelling, unlicensed manufacturing, and illegal means of measurement, will be investigated according to the law. In addition, the Plan stresses the need to launch investigations into quality problems in regions where quality dissatisfaction is exposed by the mainstream media, a large proportion of products sampled in spot checks are found substandard, quality incidents arousing strong public concerns have taken place, and quality-related violations are rampant, and work out corresponding measures to have the violations rectified by category.