SINO-U.S. WORKSHOP ON STANDARDS AND CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT A Sino -- U.S. Workshop on Standards and Conformity Assessment is scheduled to take place in Beijing, March 10 -- 12, 1999. The purpose of the workshop is to encourage the harmonization of standards and to better understand the application of each country's conformity assessment programs as a basis for minimizing redundant testing and certification activities to facilitate trade flows. The workshop will continue the dialog initiated at the first U.S. -- China Workshop on Standards, Testing and Certification held in February 1998 in Washington, DC. The workshop will be hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC) with agendas being developed in cooperation with several Chinese governmental agencies (e.g., China State Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision -CSBQTS, State Exit-Entry Quarantine Bureau -SAQI). Several major industry product sectors will specifically be addressed during workshop deliberations, including: -- Construction Codes and Standards -Electrical Safety Systems -- Boilers and Pressure Vessels -- Telecommunications -- Information Technology -- Medical Devices and Diagnostic Equipment -- Automotive and Off-Road Vehicular Equipment Anyone interested in participating in the Workshop should contact either: Dr. Stanley I. Warshaw Director's Office, Technology Services National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Building 820, Room 306 Gaithersburg, MD 20899 Telephone: (301) 975-4193 E-mail: stanley.warshaw@nist.gov or Patrick W. Cooke Technical Standards Activities Program National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Building 820, Room 164 Gaithersburg, MD 20899 phone: (301) 975-4033 E-mail: patrick.cooke@nist.gov or Lauren J. Brosler Saadat, Esq. International Trade Administration US Department of Commerce Washington DC 20230 Telephone: 202-482-4431 E-mail: Lauren_Saadat@ita.doc.gov WEB: Sino-U.S. Workshop on Standards and Conformity Assessment, http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/210/216/china.htm. E-MAIL: Contact Dr. Stanley I. Warshaw, stanley.warshaw@nist.gov. Posted 01/05/99 (W-SN285297).

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