Shanghai will encourage social organizations and industry and technology associations to play a bigger role in the drafting of standards, and the number of standards drafted by government authorities will go down, officials told a forum recently.

Group standards drafted by social organizations such as institutes and associations influential in industries and industry and technology alliances are more widely used in emerging fields and are playing a bigger role in lifting quality and brands, Meng Kai, deputy director of the standard department of the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation, said at the China Laboratory Innovation Development Summit Forum hosted by the Shanghai Laboratory Equipment Association.

These standards are drafted to satisfy the rapid development of the market and have been used in synthetic tracks, children's sunglasses, shared bikes, disposable masks and prepaid card management in the city, according to Meng.