China issues New mandatory safety rules for autonomous vehicles
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BEIJING: China has drawn up comprehensive national safety rules for the growing number of autonomous vehicles on its roads, set to take official effect on July 1, 2027.
Issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the new standards mandate that automated systems match human driver safety while standardizing human-machine interactions to prevent system misuse or abuse.
The regulations cover both driver-assisted cars and fully independent robotaxis. Under the policy, manufacturers must equip vehicles with manual deactivation overrides, implement systems to monitor backup driver readiness, and clearly inform buyers of all technical limitations.
Beijing’s push for tighter enforcement follows rising safety concerns, including a fatal 2025 crash involving a Xiaomi vehicle operating in assisted driving mode.
The initiative directly complements broader international policy efforts, coming shortly after China backed the UN agency’s landmark June adoption of the first global autonomous vehicle standards.
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