China implemented on Wednesday its first national textile standards for children.

The implementation of the new set of standards, which applies to clothing for both infants and older children, coincided with the nation's celebration of International Children's Day.

"The standards are designed to guide manufacturers in improving the safety and quality of children's clothing and ensure their health and safety," explained Li Jing, spokeswoman for the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

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Based on the standards, textiles are categorized into two types:  materials for infants aged 36 months and below, and for children aged 3 to 14 years.

Moreover, China's new textile standards for children aim to enhance existing safety requirements, and at the same time, ban the use of six plasticizers and two heavy metals－lead and cadmium.

"Clothes for infants and children under 7 are not allowed to have straps or rope around the neck or head," noted Dai Hong of the National Standardization Technical Committee.

The new standards also provide guidance on what time of accessories are placed in the clothing, and prohibits items which could cause injury such as those with sharp points or edges.

The standards likewise have set three safety categories based on different sets of criteria.

The Class A category is the most stringent , and covers all textile products for infants.

On the other hand, products that are designed for direct skin contact must meet or exceed Class B standards, while those which do not entail direct skin contact must meet Class C requirements.

Under the standards, a particular item's safety category must be indicated in the clothing in order to inform buyers of specific category they fall into.

According to Li, China's new textile standards for children will have a two-year transition period for full compliance among clothing manufacturers, which is scheduled from June 1 to May 30, 2018.

Tagschina, China Textile Standards, Textile Standards for Children