On 10 December, 2020, Ministry of Transport issued Guidelines for Promoting the Development and Application of Road Traffic Self-driving Technology. These guidelines put forward specific tasks in four aspects to promote the development of self-driving technology and industry.

1. Strengthen the research and development of self-driving technology. Breakthroughs should be made in key generic technologies, method of test assessment and system of test technology should be improved, monitoring and control methods of mixed traffic should be researched and the scientific research capacity in the industry should be promoted. To improve the technical system, we need to guide the main body of innovation to tackle key problems in fields like fusion sensing technology, car-road interaction, high-precision space-time service, intelligent roadside system, intelligent computing platform, cybersecurity, test methods and tools and administration of mixed traffic.

2. Improve the intelligent level of road infrastructure. This includes strengthening the research on the intelligent development plan of infrastructure, promoting the intelligent construction of infrastructure in an orderly manner, and advancing the digital transformation and intelligent upgrading and the interconnection of road infrastructure, transport vehicles, transportation management and service, and traffic control system.

3. Promote pilot and demonstration applications of self-driving technologies. We should support the self-driving cargo transport services, steadily promote self-driving passenger travel services. In addition, we should encourage the growth of emerging industries of self-driving and deepen the pilot demonstration of technology in accordance with the development path from closed scenario to open environment, from logistics transportation to passenger travel.

4. Perfect the supporting system for self-driving. To achieve this, we should strengthen safety risk prevention and control, speed up the construction a favorable policy environment, continuously promote the construction of standard and standard systems, actively deal with safety problems derived from the application of self-driving technology, optimizing the supply of policies and standards, and supporting industrial development.
   

Background:

The New-Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan(issued by No. 35 [2017], State Council) has recognized self-driving technology as one of leading technology in artificial intelligence fields. In 2019, the Central Committee of CPC and the State Council issued theProgram of Building National Strength in Transportation,outlining the requirements of strengthening the research and development of self-driving, developing intelligent transportation, and accelerating the integration and development of the network of transportation infrastructure, transportation service, energy and information. The Central Committee of CPC has made arrangement to speed up the “new infrastructure”, and self-driving was in the limelight as an important application scenario. In addition,The Strategies for the Innovative Development of Intelligent Vehiclesput forward the tasks such as “introduction of policies to promote the development of self-driving”.

The Ministry of Transport has carried out a series of work on promoting the development and application of self-driving technology as part of the effort to build national strength in transportation with scientific and technological innovation. To sum up, there are several main aspects:

1. Establish a working mechanism. In 2017, the Ministry of Transport set up a special research group on self-driving technology. It coordinated relevant units to absorb intellectual resources in the industry, continuously tracked the development of regulations and policies, technologies and industries, made research and suggestions and provided supporting decisions for the Ministry of Transport to promote the development of self-driving technology.

2. Support technical test. In 2018, The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security issued theRules for the Administration of the Road Tests of Intelligent Connected Vehicles (for Trial Implementation)to guide the local authorities to carry out the road tests of the intelligent network car in an orderly manner. At present, more than 20 places in China have formulated implementation rules and issued more than 400 test licenses. The development of Technical Guide for Construction of Closed Test Site for Self-driving(Interim)  identified 7 self-driving closed test base in China, supporting technology research & development and test. Recently, the Ministry of Transport, together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Public Security, has been studying and revising the rules for road test management to further improve the test management policy.

3. Organize research and development of technology. The Ministry of Transport promoted the implementation of key projects of "integrated transportation and intelligent transportation" together with the Ministry of Science and Technology, and carried out research and development of key technology in self-driving and road coordination. The Ministry of Transportation has also continuously strengthened R & D capacity building, identified 5 R & D centers of self-driving industry to facilitate the research and development.

4. Improve the standard system of several basic standards, such asTechnical Conditions for Safety of Commercial “BusandTechnical” Conditions for Safety of Commercial Truck"were issued under the research on the standard system of self-driving and road coordination. At the same time, the Ministry of Transport will sign theFramework Agreement on Strengthening Cooperation in the C-V2X Standards of Automobile, Intelligent Transportation, Communication and Traffic Managementwith the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Public Security. It organized the development the Guidelines on the Construction of the Standards System for National Car Networking Industry (Related to Intelligent Transportation), and plans to issue and implement the guidelines with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Standardization Administration.

5. Encourage pilot demonstration. It has organized and carried out a new generation of national traffic control network and intelligent highway pilot projects, and made joint effort with Beijing, Shanghai, Hebei and other places, to promote a series of pilot projects of self-driving and road coordination in areas such as Jing-li Expressway, East China Sea Bridge of Yangshan Port, Xiong'an New District, which is helpful to explore the application of frontier technology.

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