Universal framework for digital product passports debuts in Beijing

The world's first universal framework for digital product passports made its debut in Beijing on Friday, expected to boost the smooth and stable operation of global supply and industrial chains.

The framework, developed by the Zhongguangcun Industry and Information Research Institute of Two-dimensional Code Technology and international institutes, offers foundational services and public infrastructure for digital product passports.

The digital product passport is datasets that record a product's identity and lifecycle information. It verifies a product's origin, identity, and sustainability credentials in international trade.

The unveiled framework includes unified identifier rules, the data model architecture, and data exchange protocols. It provides cloud services, open APIs, and a basic structure to support collaborative development of global digital product passport systems.

"With the framework, third parties such as industry organizations and enterprises could achieve low-code development and rapidly turn out their own digital passport platforms," said Zhang Chao, secretary-general of the International Identification Code Industry Alliance and president of the Zhongguangcun Industry and Information Research Institute of Two-dimensional Code Technology.

Globally, digital product passport development have faced challenges such as difficulty in data interconnection due to the lack of identifier rules, incompatible formats, and absence of unified exchange protocols.

China's framework aims to overcome these bottlenecks and set a precedent for international cooperation.

"It will promote the development of digital product passports and the management throughout their lifecycle, accelerate the digital, green, and intelligent transformation of manufacturing, and empower domestic brands to go out of the country," said Wen Bin, deputy director of China Academy of Industrial Internet.

Universal framework for digital product passports debuts in Beijing

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday that Seoul firmly adheres to the one-China principle, in comments made ahead of his upcoming state visit to China.

The remarks were made in an interview with China Media Group (CMG). The visit is scheduled for Jan 4–7.

"The consensus reached between governments of the Republic of Korea and China when diplomatic relations were established continues to be the fundamental principle governing our relations, and its effectiveness remains steadfast. I want to clearly state that the ROK has always adhered to the one-China principle. Maintaining peace and stability in regional matters, including in Northeast Asia and concerning the Taiwan issue, holds significant importance to us," said Lee.

"The foundational relationship between the ROK and China was established on a very principled and fundamental basis from the beginning. It is clear that the ROK government has always adhered to this position and has never wavered from it. I believe that the sound development of ROK-China relations depends on both sides fully respecting each other's core interests and being mutually tolerant of each other's positions. In this context, we will, as always, uphold the one-China principle as the Taiwan issue is China's most fundamental concern," he said.

ROK president reiterates firm adherence to one-China principle