China co-develops first global technical regulation for automated driving systems

The world's first global technical regulation on automated driving systems, co-developed by China and several other parties, has been adopted, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Friday.

The regulation, known as ADS GTR, was approved at a session of the UNECE World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) held in Geneva, Switzerland. It was jointly developed by China, the European Union, Britain, the United States, Canada, and Japan.

The ADS GTR establishes core technical requirements for automated driving systems and provides a regulatory framework covering the entire product life cycle, offering a unified basis for the safe and orderly deployment of automated driving technologies.

Leading the drafting of the regulation's core contents, China shared its testing and real-world application data, and submitted dozens of technical proposals covering areas that include dynamic driving tasks, human-machine interaction, and testing and validation methods.

The ministry said China is accelerating the formulation of mandatory national standards for automated driving systems. Building on the global regulation, the domestic standards will introduce more detailed technical requirements for Level 3 and Level 4 automated driving systems, while strengthening user training and information requirements to help prevent misuse and abuse.

It added that China will continue to participate in international standard-setting and regulatory coordination for intelligent connected vehicles, while improving domestic technical standards and regulatory frameworks to ensure the safe deployment of automated driving technologies.