Accessibility laws · China
Law on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities (China)
China's accessibility duty comes from the Law on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities, amended in 2008, and it does not name a WCAG version. A voluntary web accessibility standard sits alongside it. So the honest position for a website in China is that the obligation is real and the technical bar is not written into the statute, which is an uncomfortable combination to plan against.
- Year of the amendment
- 2008
- WCAG version in the law
- None
- Version the voluntary standard derives from
- 2.0
- Status of that standard
- Voluntary
What the law is
The Law on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities dates to 1990 and was substantially amended in 2008. W3C's policy register lists that amendment as China's web accessibility instrument and records no WCAG version against it.
Alongside the law sits a voluntary web accessibility standard, also from 2008, which W3C describes as a WCAG 2.0 derivative. Voluntary is the operative word. It is a standard you can be measured against rather than one you are compelled into by that document.
This applies to you if…
- You run a public-facing service in China and the general duty of accessibility under the law reaches you.
- You are procuring or building for a Chinese government body, where the voluntary standard is far more likely to appear as a contract requirement than it is to appear as a fine.
What it technically requires
- The law creates the duty. The technical content comes from the voluntary standard, which derives from WCAG 2.0. Building to WCAG 2.2 covers that and more.
- No page on this site will quote a Chinese penalty figure or a compliance date, because neither was established. What was established is the instrument, its year, and that it names no WCAG version itself.
All roads lead to WCAG. Start with Level AA, the legal standard or the full 55-rule library. Unfamiliar term along the way? The A to Z glossary decodes it.
How it is enforced
Administrative rather than litigious, and materially different from the ADA model most readers arrive with. Treat a Chinese requirement as a procurement and regulatory question first.
Key dates
- 1990Law on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities passed
- 2008Amended, and a voluntary web accessibility standard issued alongside it
What to do about it
Every obligation on this page is measured against WCAG, so the first step is knowing where you actually stand. Run the free 10-page scan for the machine-checkable slice. For the rest, we review the key journeys with an expert and a real blind screen-reader user, then attach a screenshot and a fix to every finding. $499, 5 business days.
Primary sources
Other laws
- United StatesADAWCAG 2.1 AA (Title II rule, de facto standard in Title III cases)
- European UnionEAAAnnex I, EN 301 549 (includes WCAG 2.1 AA)
- United States (federal)Section 508WCAG 2.0 AA (incorporated by the 2017 refresh)
- United States (aviation)ACAAWCAG 2.0 AA, named in 14 CFR 382.43
- United States (telecoms)Section 255WCAG 2.0 A and AA, through the Revised 255 Guidelines
- European UnionWeb Accessibility DirectiveEN 301 549 V3.2.1, which carries WCAG 2.1 AA
- California, USUnruh ActWCAG 2.1 AA (what courts and settlements expect)
- Manitoba, CanadaManitoba AMAWCAG 2.1 AA (Accessible Information and Communication Standard)
- ArgentinaArgentina Ley 26.653WCAG 2.0, referenced by the law
- ColombiaColombia guidelinesWCAG 2.1
- Hong KongHong Kong guidelinesWCAG 2.0
- TaiwanTaiwan 110.07WCAG 2.1 derivative
- Saudi ArabiaSaudi SWAWCAG 2.1 AA
- QatarQatar Law No. 2WCAG 2.1 AA
- United Arab EmiratesUAE requirementsWCAG 2.1 AA
- Ontario, CanadaAODAWCAG 2.0 AA (excl. 1.2.4 & 1.2.5)
- United KingdomUK Equality ActWCAG A and AA, named in PSBAR regulation 9 as amended from time to time
- United States (healthcare)HHS Section 504WCAG 2.1 AA (2024 final rule)
- New York, USNew York HRLWCAG 2.1 AA (what complaints and settlements cite)
- Colorado, USColorado HB21-1110WCAG 2.1 AA (written into state standards)
- Canada (federal)Accessible Canada ActCAN/ASC-EN 301 549 → WCAG 2.1 AA
- NorwayNorway (Universal Design)WCAG 2.0 AA private / 2.1 AA public
- IsraelIsrael IS 5568WCAG 2.0 AA (via IS 5568)
- AustraliaAustralia DDAWCAG 2.2 AA (AHRC 2025 guidance)
- GermanyGermany BFSGEN 301 549 → WCAG 2.1 AA
- FranceFrance RGAARGAA (WCAG-based) / EN 301 549
- ItalyItaly Stanca ActWCAG 2.1 AA (AgID guidelines)
- JapanJapan JIS X 8341-3JIS X 8341-3:2016 = WCAG 2.0 AA
- SpainSpain RD 1112/2018UNE-EN 301549, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 AA
- NetherlandsNetherlandsEN 301 549, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 AA
- IrelandIrelandEN 301 549, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 AA
- BrazilBrazil LBIeMAG, aligned with WCAG, plus ABNT NBR 17225 for web content
- IndiaIndia RPwDGIGW 3.0, which references WCAG 2.1
- New ZealandNew ZealandWCAG 2.2 Level AA
- South KoreaSouth KoreaKWCAG 2.2, a national standard aligned with WCAG
- SwitzerlandSwitzerland BehiGeCH-0059, which references WCAG 2.1 AA
- DenmarkDenmarkEN 301 549, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 AA
Related on this site
What to read next, and the terms this page uses.
Orientation only, current as of August 2026. Not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created. For your specific situation, talk to your own lawyer.