As of now, China has 231 service certification bodies, accounting for 40% of the total number of certification bodies in the country. There are 25,215 service certification certificates issued, representing 1.14% of the total certification certificates, and 7,703 registered service certification auditors, making up 12% of all registered auditors .
With the development of informatization, intelligentization, networking, and digitalization, service certification is integrating and co-developing with advanced manufacturing and high-tech service industries. This has led to the emergence of new certification areas such as digital building service certification, green data center service certification, high-end customization service certification, and study abroad education service certification . Furthermore, newly approved certification bodies include projects like digital copyright protection service certification, aviation service training certification, and eyewear fitting service certification . Meanwhile, service certification items directly related to people's daily lives, such as maternal and infant care, elderly care, and health massage, are growing steadily and gaining increasing market recognition .
Currently, the service sector holds a pivotal position in China's national economy. In 2018, the value added of China's service sector reached 46.9 trillion yuan, accounting for 52% of the total GDP . The service sector is leading in areas such as tax revenue creation, employment absorption, newly established market entities, fixed asset investment, and foreign trade, becoming the primary driver of China's economic growth under the "new normal" . Service certification is a new type of certification system based on customer perception, focusing on the extent to which an organization's quality management and service characteristics meet requirements. It is a conformity assessment activity that evaluates whether a service provider's management and service level meet the relevant standard requirements . In 2004, China began practical exploration of service certification, gradually launching initiatives such as green market certification, information security service qualification certification, automotive glass parts and installation service certification, and commodity after-sales service certification .
The CPC Central Committee and the State Council attach great importance to quality certification work. In September 2017, the Guiding Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Carrying out the Quality Improvement Actionproposed to enhance the quality of lifestyle services and promote the specialized development of producer services . In January 2018, the State Council issued the Opinions on Strengthening the Quality Certification System and Promoting Comprehensive Quality Management, which called for "giving play to the role of voluntary certification in 'raising the bar' and vigorously promoting high-end quality certification. Carrying out service certification in fields such as health, education, sports, finance, and e-commerce to increase the supply of high-quality services" . With the support and promotion of national policies, the development of service certification has entered the fast lane. According to the CNCA Announcement on the Catalog of Voluntary Certification Fields and Requirements for Qualification Approval, service certification currently covers 22 fields and includes 3 nationally promoted systems .
A relevant official from the Certification Supervision Department of the State Administration for Market Regulation stated that service certification was positioned as high-end quality certification from its early stages of development, reflecting high standards, advanced technology, and high quality . As the service sector's proportion of the national economy gradually increases, the service industry will inevitably undergo a process of elimination, where inferior and low-priced services will lose market share, and the call for high-quality services will grow louder . Digitalization, technological integration, informatization, and intelligentization are important directions for the development of service certification and key areas of competition. Service certification will fully exert its effect of "raising the bar" for service quality, aiding the supply-side structural reform of the service industry and promoting the high-quality development of the service sector .