Using a new database on Chinese food standards, this paper estimates the impact of voluntary and mandatory standards on its agricultural and food exports. The dataset covers seven Chinese products from 1992 to 2008. The findings here indicate that standards have a positive effect on China's export performance. Standards signal to customers that products meet certain quality measures and promote information exchange. The benefits of increased exports outweigh compliance costs. Our results also show that theses positive effects are larger when the standards are consistent with international norms.