China is the manufacturing capital of the world and the largest market for technology. Currently, the country is home to 95 million Internet users. With usage growing faster then 20 percent a year, China will have more Internet users than any other country by 2006. It already has the largest installed base of both landlines (314 million) and mobile telephones (334 million). Within this economic framework, China lays claim to being the largest potential RFID market in the world. And since the standards bearer holds an economic advantage, Chinese political officials have stated that their nation needs to be involved in the setting of RFID standards.

RFID Journal reports that in late April, a group of senior Chinese government officials discussed their views at the RFID China Forum (RCF) in Beijing. The RCF was the largest and most influential RFID gathering in mainland China, attended by representatives of the Chinese, American and Korean governments. It featured more than 50 speakers from such organizations as IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Savi Technology, Nokia, NTT Data, ISO, UID, EPCglobal, CompTIA and the Korean Association of RFID. The event also included five key Chinese government officials, including the three department heads of the Ministry of Information Industry, which is leading the formation of China’s RFID standards.