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UNECE and China to increase cooperation on UN vehicle regulations

Over the past years, China has become the largest automaker in the world, with 21 million cars manufactured in 2015, 30% of the world’s total.  The country is therefore aiming at positioning itself in the race for automated and connected mobility, alongside the USA, the EU and Japan.


On 7 June, China inaugurated its National Intelligent and Connected Vehicle Testing Demonstration Base, located in the Jiading district of Shanghai, which is concentrating many actors, activities, R&D centers and production plants related to the automotive sector. This will offer a competitive alternative test bed to other well-known existing testing facilities e.g. in the USA and in the EU.


This opening took place during the 2nd international symposium on Intelligent and Connected Vehicles, held on 7 and 8 June 2016 in Shanghai. The UNECE secretariat delivered the keynote speech, highlighting the work currently being done under the World Forum for the harmonization of vehicle regulations (WP.29) on Automated Commended Steering Functions (self-steering equipment), which is the basis for regulating automated driving vehicles. Other areas of work include Remote Control Parking and Accident Emergency Call Systems, which are the first attempts to regulate vehicles’ connectivity.


The symposium gathered representatives from various countries and international institutions, as well as from all sectors of the motor industry present in China, including Volvo cars, Changan (which sent a driverless car on 1.200 Mile test through China), Mercedes-Benz, Bosch, Continental and Volvo Trucks, SAE-China and of the telecommunication sector, such as China Unicom, and the China Communication Standards Association (CCSA).  They discussed China’s strategy for automated and connected mobility as well as current technological trends. 


During the symposium, it appeared clearly that the new vision of a future mobility relying on intelligent and connected technologies is shared all over the world and that the cooperation between China’s  Automotive Technology & Research Center (CATARC) and the World Forum for the harmonization of vehicle regulations can be increased. China is already a Contracting Party to the 1998 Agreement on Global Technical Regulations.


China expressed its willingness to increase its participations in international activities, possibly in the field of new technologies related to Advance Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and automated driving. Mr. Yu Kai, CPC secretary heading CATARC, will participate in the next session of WP.29 from 21 June 2016.

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