Implemented on May 1, 2002 and fully effective on August 1, 2003 (OBS: the deadline was initially May 1, 2003 and extended to August 1, 2003), the CCC Mark- China Compulsory Certification mark (is required for a wide range of manufactured products before being exported to or sold in the Peoples Republic of China market.

The CCC Mark is required for products in 19 groups divided into totally 132 product categories.

China has integrated its two compulsory inspection systems, one to check contents of products for import and export, and the other for quality control, into a single procedure as part of its commitment for entry into the World Trade Organization. Since May 1, 2002, two symbols used by the two systems, namely “CCIB” (Safety Mark, introduced in 1989 and required for products in 47 product categories) and “CCEE” (also known as “Great Wall” Mark, for electrical commodities in 7 product categories), have be unified and replaced by the symbol “CCC” (China Compulsory Certificate).

After the initial 12-month transition period (i.e. starting on May 1, 2002 and ending on April 30, 2003) consumers in China will no longer see the symbols ‘CCIB’ and ‘CCEE’ on products, as they will be replaced by ‘CCC’.

According to Chinese laws and Regulation for Compulsory Product Certification, the Compulsory Product Certification System is applied to products related to human life and health, animals, plants, environmental protection and national security. Any product covered by the Catalogue should acquire the CCC mark before it can be marketed, imported or used for any commercial purposes in China.

Starting on May 1, 2003, imported products without CCC mark may be held at the border by Chinese Customs and subject to other penalties. Component parts of a manufacturer’s finished products may in some cases require CCC certification; in these cases, the component manufacturer is generally required to apply for the CCC mark