Setting the scene
The 12 months since the last edition of this conference have seen some significant developments in vehicle safety regulation in China and globally.
As well as updates to specific issues such as rear-end collision safety requirements and the 2024 China NCAP revisions, China has issued new rules for electric vehicle (EV) batteries that will come into effect in July 2026. This includes fire- and explosion-prevention mandates that exceed previous requirements for warning signals, and stricter crash, thermal, and charging tests to strengthen consumer confidence in—and global competitiveness of—Chinese EVs.
In terms of Level 2 (L2) driver assistance technology, mandatory safety requirements for L2 driver assistance systems have been introduced by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), China’s government authority overseeing industrial development and setting safety and technology standards and testing, including the automotive sector.
These specific requirements focus on operating conditions, human-machine interaction, functional safety, and lifecycle oversight. New rules have been introduced banning misleading marketing, ensuring clear boundaries between driver assistance and autonomous vehicle capabilities, and addressing misuse, enhancing driver monitoring, and improving accountability across product development, vehicle production, and commercial deployment.
Beyond L2, China’s first comprehensive law for so-called L3+ autonomous vehicles came into effect in Beijing in April 2025. This mandates road access approvals, infrastructure integration, and annual inspections of intelligent systems. The regulation defines responsibilities for manufacturers, operators, and regulators, and enforces compliance.
Set against these regulatory and technical developments in the local automotive industry, and the evolution of a multi-speed international regulatory landscape, Xi’an played host to safety experts from around the world representing academia and industry.