China's national regulatory authority (NRA) on vaccines has reached WHO standards, the organization's director-general Margaret Chan announced Friday in Beijing.

The assessment result means that vaccines produced in China meet international standards of quality, safety and efficacy, she added.

"With the result, we are confident about the safety and efficacy of vaccines produced and used in China," Chan said. "And it will bring benefits to Chinese children, as well as children in the rest of the world."

Regulatory authorities in each country are responsible for ensuring that products released for public distribution, medicines and biological products in particular, are used properly and meet international standards of quality and safety. And countries whose authorities passed WHO assessment can be listed as vaccine exporters by international agencies such as UNICEF.