China issues mandatory safety requirements for autonomous vehicles

China has introduced mandatory safety requirements for vehicles with conditional or highly automated driving systems, set to take effect on July 1, 2027.

China has ​issued mandatory ​safety requirements for vehicles ‌equipped with ​conditional or highly automated driving systems, the country's industry ‌ministry said on Tuesday. Under the new rules, set to take effect on July 1, 2027, an automated ‌driving system must achieve a level ‌of safety at least equivalent to that of a qualified and attentive human driver performing the driving task. ⁠The ​system must ⁠also not pose unreasonable safety risks to vehicle occupants ⁠or other road users, according to a ministry statement.

The ​standard excludes automated parking systems and applies to ⁠vehicles equipped with Level 3 and Level 4 ⁠automated ​driving systems. Level 3 systems require a human driver to remain available to take ⁠over when requested, while Level 4 systems can perform ⁠all ⁠driving tasks without human intervention within specified operating conditions or designated areas.