BEIJING - A Chinese institute has been designated as a World Health Organization Collaborating Center for the standardization and evaluation of biological products, the State Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.

The Institute for Biological Product Control of the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control in China became the first WHO Collaborating Center for the standardization and evaluation of biological products located in a developing country, and it is the seventh in the world, the SFDA said.

The initial period of designation is four years. The work plan includes various activities that will contribute to the development of international standards for vaccines and other biological products as well as their implementation into regulatory practice, the WHO said on its official website.

"The designation will help China become a major player in biological product standardization and evaluation and boost the country's global competitiveness in the research and development of biotechnology," said Wang Junzhi, director of the IBPC.