CHINA has issued five sets of standards for the domestics freight forwarding industry governing service procedures, quality, terms and conditions, statistical survey conduction, freight forwarder qualifications and assessment criteria.

The standards were drafted by China International Freight Forwarders Association and approved by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. Sinotrans, China Shipping and Sinosteel Corporation participated in the drafting.

The standards are said to secure fast and healthy development of the domestic freight forwarding industry by providing guidelines for government's policy making and regulation.

Another five sets of standards are also on the way to be issued on manifest and documentation, documentation coding approach, information and data exchange and risk assessment. The drafting of these standards is expected to be done in next year and will facilitate the establishment of a public freight forwarding information portal.

The Ministry of Commerce has also given green light to the foundation of a committee that monitors implementation of these technical standards.