Shandong aims for high-quality development

Recently, the Shandong Provincial Party Committee and the provincial government issued the "Implementation Plan for Quality Improvement Actions", suggesting that the province will add 700 famous Shandong brand products and 400 famous Shandong service brands by 2020. 

The plan proposes that by that year Shandong is to create new high-standard farmland of 14.82 million mu with a gross acreage of 59.82 million mu, and to foster 70 national standards, 90 group standards, and 300 new agricultural regional standards and production technical specifications. The quality and safety of agricultural products is to be under comprehensive supervision, with the quality of the "vegetable basket" products in the main producing areas traceable and agricultural products monitored to secure a pass rate at over 98 percent.

The plan requires quality improvement of pharmaceutical and medical device standards to be carried out in the province and "Quality Lu Medicine" to be developed and implemented. It accelerates the establishment of a quality and safety tracing system for food and drugs together with implementation of food quality improvement for agricultural exports, and insists on meeting of international food standards by all agricultural products. The plan is to establish a sound food standard management mechanism and to speed up of the formulation and furtherance of regional standards for specialty foods. By 2020, the food safety satisfaction rate is to exceed 85 percent with the food sampling pass rate over 96 percent and the drug sampling pass rate over 98 percent. 

The plan specifies the implementation of the "quality revolution" plan, that is to carry out quality improvement actions in clustered areas of daily consumer goods production, as well as to accelerate building of national quality improvement demonstration zones (bases) and to diversify newly emerged consumer goods such as artificial intelligence, new audio-visual equipment, wearable devices, and smart homes. It proposes to improve the quality of nursing care for disabled patients and enhance life education and employment assistance for the disabled. It will also broaden choices in cultural entertainment, sports and fitness, and tourism and leisure products for the elderly. 

By 2020, the plan strives to create 30 national quality improvement bases to cultivate more than 1,000 famous consumer brand products and to increase the consistency of quality standards of major consumer goods with international standards by 15 percentage points to over 95 percent. 

The plan also proposes to bolster cultivation of advanced standards in Shandong province, focusing on the development of international standards in such fields as next-generation information technology, foundry machinery, high-speed railways, shipbuilding, household appliances and new materials. It proposes to cultivate a number of national standards in high-end industries such as advanced CNC machining, robotics, offshore engineering equipment, railway and power equipment, agricultural machinery, and high-performance medical devices. It will also set standards for agricultural products such as wheat, corn, vegetables, aquatic products, forest products and livestock products, as well as for rural revitalization fields such as the construction of Beautiful Villages and Rural Complexes. It proposes to formulate leading group standards and build a number of front-runners in 71 dominant agricultural fields and 62 key manufacturing industrial clusters in the province. By 2020, 60 national and provincial standardization innovation bases, platforms and centers are to be built, 50 international standards, 440 national and industrial standards, 430 regional standards, and 200 group standards will have been set, and the overall level of standardization will be at the forefront. 

The plan also emphasizes the promotion of "Shandong Brands", which includes implementing the "10,000+1,000+100+10" brand cultivation strategy of organizing 10,000 enterprises to carry out brand training, selecting 1,000 large and medium-sized key enterprises to implement brand creation activities in different industries and regions, promoting 100 leading enterprises to build internationally renowned brands, and cultivating over 10 singles champions in every industry. It promotes the establishment of a brand value evaluation platform, brand value evaluation activities, the protection of old brands and geographical indications, and the improvement of trademark registration, application and protection capabilities.