Understanding the standardization strategies in China from the perspective of Actor-network Theory

Since Actor-network Theory (ANT) provides a suitable approach to examine the actions of various participants that align their interests around the standardization, this paper investigates the process by which an indigenous standard is created and promoted in a developing country and seeks to explain the phenomena from the perspective of ANT. It concludes that the various endeavors in standardization has mirrored China´s ambitions of its manufacturing products to gradually progressing from “made in China” to “innovated in China”; from “the product maker” to “the rule maker”. This government-oriented standardization strategy can be observed distinctly in the process of translation.