English translation of China’s RoHS law available

An English version of China’s new environmental directive is available at the Design Chain Associates site. China’s law, called the Administration on the Control of Pollution Caused by Electronic Information Products, includes some of the language of the Cleaner Production Promotion Law which was passed by the People’s Republic of China in 2002.

The new law matches the European Union’s (EU) RoHS deadline of July 1, 2006. So far, the exemptions to the law have been not spelled out. A separate “catalog” will define more precisely which product groups will be exempted from the law. So far, China has identified the same six substances that are bannedby the RoHS directive. China’s law does, however, state that other hazardous substances may be added to the banned list at a future date. Another difference in the China law is that it provides for revisions annually. The EU’s RoHS legislation will only be reviewed every four years.