ISO elects first Chinese president

The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) has elected Zhang Xiaogang as president, making him the first Chinese national to assume the post, Xinhua reported.

The election was held Friday at the 36th ISO General Assembly in the Russian city of St. Petersburg.

Zhang is a vice chairman of the World Steel Association and a member of the China Standardisation Expert Committee.

Founded in 1947, the ISO is the largest and most authoritative international standard-setting body. By the end of 2012, the ISO had developed and published about 20,000 standards, which have played an important role in world economy and trade.