China recently released the National Standardisation Development (NSD) Outline, which serves as the first major document in the public domain on the standardisation strategy of the state in the coming years. This serves as a potential road map for the Chinese government and provides a glimpse into its intentions of utilising technical standards as an economic and strategic tool to further advance its interests.
A technical standard serves as a means for governance in the realm of a wide range of technologies. With several emerging fields such as AI, blockchain, and 5G, there is a necessity to establish a common direction of functioning for all states and private companies undertaking research and development in the specific fields of technology. While this remains the foremost idea behind the setting up of technical standards, recent developments have broadened the scope of their necessity.
The standardisation strategy envisioned by the Chinese government can also serve as a model for India to increase its presence in the international technical standards domain. China’s pursuit offers India an opportunity to emulate its neighbour in simultaneously strengthening its domestic standardisation schemes while improving its leverage in international standards developing organisations. The NSD outline document provides India with a few pointers on the path it can take to influence technical standards-setting at the international level.