According to a statement made by China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision; Inspection and Quarantine of China (AQSIQ), the EU REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) regulations, that will come into force as of June 1, will offer both challenges and opportunities for Chinese export companies.

Speaking at a press conference, Wang Xin, director of the AQSIQ Department of Supervision on Inspection said that REACH will have a huge influence on China's industries and could cause a barrier for exports of Chinese chemical products. It will also increase the cost of importing chemicals from the EU and will affect China's export competitiveness. He added that, according to estimates, REACH will add €10 billion to the cost of China's annual exports to the EU.

However, Mr Wang also highlighted the benefits of the new regulations commenting that they will lead to an in-depth examination of China's chemical industry and promote the development of new products and will bring China’s chemical industry in line with international standards, improve production techniques, reduce environmental pollution.

REACH will unify the management on chemical products and chemical substance in such downstream products as leather, textiles, and mechanical and electronic products in the European market. The regulation requires companies that manufacture or import more than one tonne of a chemical substance per year to register their products and submit a safe substitute and research plan for products deemed as hazardous.