ASTM signs memorandum of understanding with national standards body of P.R. China.ASTM International ASTM International (ASTM) is an international standards developing organization that develops and publishes voluntary technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services. , West Conshohocken, PA, has signed a memorandum of understanding A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is a legal document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action and may not imply a legal commitment. (MOU (Minutes Of Usage) A metric used to compute billing and/or statistics for telephone calls or other network use. ) with the standardization administration of the People's Republic People's Republic n. A political organization founded and controlled by a national Communist party. of China (SAC), the country's national standards body. ASTM International president, James A. Thomas, and SAC vice administrator, Zhang Yanhua, signed the MOU on August 20, 2004 in Beijing. The memorandum was developed between ASTM International and SAC to explore cooperative opportunities for standards development in areas of mutual interest, to promote communication and knowledge between the two organizations, and to promote greater Chinese participation in the ASTM ASTM abbr. American Society for Testing and Materials standards development process. According to the MOU, ASTM agrees to annually provide the full collection of ASTM standards to SAC, to co-sponsor standards and training programs, and to provide participating membership to representatives of SAC on ASTM technical committees. In addition, ASTM will provide internship programs for SAC experts at ASTM International headquarters to study the standards development process. In return, SAC agrees to promote the acceptance and use of ASTM standards in China, to utilize the resources of ASTM to develop Chinese national standards
and reference ASTM standards where applicable in Chinese national standards, and to provide access to current ASTM standards including a link to ASTM International's website on the SAC home page. SAC will also facilitate connections between Chinese technical experts and ASTM International technical committees to ensure that the standards meet the needs of the Chinese industry. ASTM has an established relationship with China that includes agreements with the Chinese National Institute of Standardization (CNIS CNIS Canadian Network for International Surgery (Vancouver, BC Canada) CNIS Centre National de l'Informatique et des Statistiques (French) CNIS Coordinamento Nazionale degli Insegnanti Specializzati ) and the Shanghai Institute of Standardization (SIS). In addition, ASTM has published an annual Chinese version of its magazine, Standardization News, as a joint venture with the China Association for Standardization (CAS) since 1991. SAC currently reports that it uses nearly 500 ASTM standards as the basis for its national standards in China. For more information, contact ASTM International at 610.832.9585 or visit www.astm.org. |
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