China enhances role in autonomous driving standards

While Chinese regulators and carmakers are making concerted efforts along the industrial chain to shape rules for the global autonomous driving industry, executives from leading manufacturers of self-driving vehicles in the United States are busy painting Beijing's rapid advances in the sector as a so-called direct threat to Washington's role.

During last week's hearing of the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, executives from Waymo and Tesla urged lawmakers to ease regulatory constraints and pass legislation to accelerate the deployment of autonomous vehicles.

According to testimony seen by Reuters, Waymo said that US leadership in the autonomous vehicle sector is now "under direct threat" and is locked in a global race with Chinese companies.

Lars Moravy, Tesla's vice-president of vehicle engineering, said at the hearing that the US must modernize regulations that inhibit the industry's ability to innovate. "If the US does not lead in autonomous driving development, other nations — particularly China — will shape the technology, standards and global market."

While US lawmakers debate regulatory reform, China has been advancing on two fronts — international standard-setting and large-scale deployment.

In recent years, Chinese institutions and companies have led or participated in dozens of international automotive standards projects, including more than 10 specifically for autonomous driving.

Those engagements have culminated in the release of ISO 34505 last year, a new international standard that defines how test scenarios for automated driving systems should be evaluated and how test cases should be generated.

Developers said the new standard could streamline research and commercialization by giving companies a shared technical language for simulation and real-world validation. High-level autonomous systems — particularly Level 4 driverless technology — still rely heavily on simulated testing, even as road trials expand.

Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, said: "Having a voice in standards-setting is strategically important as autonomous driving enters a phase of rapid global growth. It supports Chinese vehicles and technologies, gaining wider international recognition. "As Chinese companies deploy in multiple countries, they need unified methodologies for scenario evaluation and safety verification. A globally recognized standard lowers barriers for cross-border development."

Chinese firms are testing their systems in harsher overseas environments, which industry experts said helps validate system resilience and feed back into both product development and standards discussions.

Notably, the standards push is unfolding alongside faster real-world rollout. Robotaxi pilots are expanding in major Chinese cities, with companies such as Pony.ai and Baidu increasing fleet sizes and operational zones. In cities including Wuhan, Hubei province and Chongqing, regulators have begun allowing fully driverless, paid ride-hailing services in designated areas.

Sun Hang, chief engineer at the China Automotive Standardization Research Institute, said, "China's regulatory environment has also shown notable continuity."