Zhejiang, Senegal to develop joint standards

Zhejiang province and Senegal have inked an action plan to cooperate on standardization, the first such plan between the province and a Belt and Road partner country.

The 2026 Zhijiang Business Environment Forum opens in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Saturday. (Photo via chinadaily.com.cn)

The plan sets out concrete steps for cooperation on standards for research and applications in e-commerce, mobile payments, EV safety testing, battery recycling, photovoltaics and wind power and energy storage systems, among other things.

It was signed by the Zhejiang Administration for Market Regulation and Senegal's Association of Normalization (ASN), its national standardization agency, at the 2026 Zhijiang Business Environment Forum in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, on Saturday.

Hosted by the provincial Administration for Market Regulation, this year's forum aims to move rules, standards, certification and intellectual property from different systems toward interconnected frameworks to help local businesses expand overseas.

The plan will make standardization a bridge linking industry, technology and trade between Zhejiang and Senegal, with regular communication and projects that deliver tangible benefits to both sides, said Fatoumata Ngone Ndoye, head of external relations and partnerships for ASN.

"The plan covers seven major areas, including the digital economy, modern agriculture and green industry," she said. "These are all areas prioritized by the Senegal government and sectors where Zhejiang is quite advanced."

A joint working group, alongside a cooperation mechanism, will be established under the action plan. The two sides will also launch a talent development partnership, exchange experts and jointly select demonstration projects.

"Zhejiang is a major trading partner with Africa," said Sun Yahe, director of standardization for the Zhejiang Administration for Market Regulation.

"We believe the standardization cooperation will further boost economic and trade connectivity between the two parties."

Official figures show that Zhejiang's imports and exports with Africa reached 402.59 billion yuan ($60.31 billion) in the first three quarters of this year, up 20.1 percent year-on-year.