Visitors walk past a Lancome kiosk at the atrium of the Uniwalk mall, located in Baoan district of Shenzhen, Guangdong province on June 17, 2023. (J. LU / CHINA DAILY)

The first 15 projects with a unified quality certification from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao were unveiled on Tuesday, marking a step forward in rule convergence in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). 

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The projects with “GBA Certification” cover manufactured consumer goods, agricultural and food products, and services. They include such diverse items as air conditioners, smartwatches for children, soy sauce, strawberries, high-end property service and elderly care. 

The standards cover 25 areas, including food quality and safety, Cantonese cuisine, transportation, mechanical and electrical products, as well as medical care, nursing care, education and e-sports

Based on standard technical indicators, all the items meet the market access requirements of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, which means that they will be able to enter the markets of all three places with only one certification. 

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A GBA certification alliance was set up by certification bodies from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to carry out research and operations.

Innovative rules have been introduced to ensure the authority of “GBA Certification”. The certification requires that information related to the quality safety of the products or services is disclosed to the public. If products or services do not meet the quality requirements, consumers are entitled to seek compensation higher than the mandatory standard, and vendors should be held accountable.

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The development comes as authorities in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao beef up efforts to reduce the barriers of mutual market access brought by differences in their regulatory systems, standards and rules, which is believed to be vital in promoting integration. 

In April, 110 GBA standards were introduced by authorities of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. The standards cover 25 areas, including food quality and safety, Cantonese cuisine, transportation, mechanical and electrical products, as well as medical care, nursing care, education and e-sports.

Contact the writer at sally@chinadailyhk.com