As previously reported on element-14 the first draft of the China RoHS "Catalogue" was published,
some two years late, on the 9th of October 2009.
It had a one month consultation period and would enter into force ten months after the legislation was
adopted.
So what has happened in the meantime as it has all gone quiet?
I spoke to Paul Goodman of Cobham Technical Services and he gave me his view:
"The only real news on China RoHS for well over a year was the draft catalogue. Since then the Chinese Government has sent the draft to WTO for comments and we assume will publish as new legislation. According to a Chinese lawyer I heard at a recent webinar, it is not unusual for Chinese legislation to be published and come into force with no announcements and it can take several months to hear about it. Very inconvenient when they allow only 10 months to comply".
This is probably OK as only telephones and printers in scope at present but this could well be a problem
with future drafts that include a wider range of products that impact manufacturers of products destined for China.
