World’s First UN Regulation on Automated Driving Systems Approved, Led by China with Concurrent Domestic Standards

The United Nations World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) held its 199th session in Geneva, Switzerland, from June 22 to 26, 2024. During the meeting, the Global Technical Regulation on Automated Driving Systems (ADS GTR), jointly led by China, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Japan, was formally adopted following a vote by all contracting parties. The regulation establishes core technical requirements for automated driving systems and creates a unified regulatory framework covering the entire product lifecycle. China played a pivotal leadership and driving role throughout the development of this regulation. Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is advancing the formulation of mandatory national standards for automated driving systems domestically. The drafting of these standards has been completed and is currently undergoing approval procedures. The domestic standard fully incorporates the core provisions of the ADS GTR and, tailored to China’s industrial realities and regulatory needs, sets more detailed technical requirements for Level 3 and Level 4 automated driving systems. It clearly defines safety baselines for different levels of automated vehicles and adds provisions on user training and disclosure to mitigate risks of misuse and abuse. Furthermore, building upon the internationally recognized “multi-pillar approach” testing methodology, China has proposed a unified set of standardized test scenarios to support the implementation of the international regulation. Moving forward, relevant Chinese authorities will continue participating in the development and revision of international standards and regulations for intelligent and connected vehicles, accelerate the issuance of domestic mandatory national standards, promote effective alignment between domestic and international regulatory frameworks, and refine technical standards and oversight mechanisms through initiatives such as on-road testing demonstrations, pilot programs for “vehicle-road-cloud integration,” and trials for production access and road deployment—thereby ensuring the safe and compliant introduction of automated driving products.