The first TIR operations are in site as China appoints the Research Institute of Highway (RIOH), as the road vehicle approval agency under TIR, managing the accreditation of transport companies admitted to the system.
The appointment comes after consultation with the Ministry of Transport and General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) and is a significant milestone towards TIR going live in China following the country’s accession to the UN TIR Convention.
RIOH will be responsible for vehicle testing and issuing approval certificates to China’s trucks. The organisation sits under the umbrella of the Ministry of Transport and was established in 1956. It is a large-scale, integrated road transport research institute, responsible for road infrastructure, intelligent transport, automotive and traffic engineering, road transport and logistics, and environmental protection engineering.