BSI总裁：中国企进入全球化新阶段，标准与信任成关键战略优势 - 2026-09-22
Chinese companies have entered a more mature phase of globalization in which the main focus of competition has shifted to “how to operate” from “what to produce,” according to the chief executive of the British Standards Institution, the United Kingdom’s standards body.
While high-quality, innovative products and resilient supply chains remain fundamental requirements for Chinese firms going global, operational standardization, regulatory compliance, and trust have become key differentiators in the new globalization era, Susan Taylor Martin said in an exclusive interview with Yicai during a recent visit to Shanghai.
“China is already a major voice in the international standards world, but there's even greater opportunity ahead,” Martin said. Chinese technology firms developing emerging technologies should help shape global standards rather than simply adapt to existing rules, she said.
“It's an area where the international community absolutely welcomes even greater Chinese participation,” Martin pointed out.
The BSI plans to go on working with Chinese institutions to encourage businesses at the technological frontier to participate in international standards development, Martin said. Where global standards have yet to emerge, the London-based body and its Chinese partners can explore new frameworks, while in more established industries they can work on adapting existing standards to local markets and innovative upgrades.
The BSI sees Chinese companies as having advantages in farsighted global planning and export growth, but Martin said their next challenge is to build deeper ties with the markets where they operate.
“China has a fantastic opportunity to build much deeper relationships where it’s operating because it isn't a simple export world,” she said. “It’s a proper collaboration in a community where you're providing jobs and building infrastructure.”
As artificial intelligence becomes a key driving force of global industrial development, standardized AI governance has emerged as a new benchmark for measuring companies’ global operational capabilities. The BSI has developed the BSI AI Foundation Framework, a verification scheme designed to help organizations safely adopt AI, manage risk, and align with global standards such as ISO/IEC 42001. Organizations that successfully complete auditing within this framework are awarded the BSI Mark of Trust.
Martin said the BSI’s preliminary research shows that Chinese companies rank high globally in AI maturity and governance awareness, although the wider industry remains at an early stage of developing widely accepted governance practices. “It's still early in terms of people understanding the risks associated with AI and how they can manage them,” she noted.
The BSI AI Foundation Framework is intended to help organizations establish processes for identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks throughout the AI lifecycle. Demand has grown quickly in financial and professional services, while Chinese firms are showing increasing interest as they seek to demonstrate responsible AI practices to customers, partners, and regulators.
Standards are not rigid rules but dynamic, iterative best practices, Martin explained. With Chinese companies increasingly at the forefront of innovation in areas including AI and other emerging technologies, greater participation in international standards-setting will give them a larger role in shaping the rules governing the next phase of global industrial cooperation and development, she predicted.
Established in 1901 as the Engineering Standards Committee, the BSI has been operating in China since 1995.
Source: Yicai Global
