MIIT Holds Automaker Meeting to Strengthen Vehicle Safety and Production Compliance Oversight

On July 17, the Department of Equipment Industry I under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) convened a symposium with key automobile manufacturers to outline priorities including standardizing competition in the automotive industry, enhancing product manufacturing consistency and quality-safety standards, and identifying potential safety risks in automotive products. The meeting required enterprises to implement the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, resist irrational competition, strengthen product testing, verification, and safety assessments, and uphold the bottom line of manufacturing consistency and quality-safety. Specific measures include: First, thoroughly identify potential safety hazards in products, conduct self-inspections against regulatory requirements regarding issues in their own operations and those of key component suppliers throughout the production process, implement corrective actions, enhance supply chain management, and improve capabilities to ensure manufacturing consistency. Second, reinforce testing and verification for innovative product designs, comprehensively assess safety risks, prudently advance the application of new technologies in vehicles, ensure compliance with national standards and requirements for safeguarding human health and personal/property safety, and strictly fulfill disclosure obligations to eliminate exaggerated or false advertising. Third, strengthen safety evaluations of combined driver assistance and autonomous driving functions, enhance safeguards concerning functional safety, safety of intended functionality (SOTIF), cybersecurity, data security, and software updates, and effectively monitor and respond to safety incidents. The meeting emphasized that automotive manufacturers must embrace the principle of “safety first, quality foremost,” genuinely assume responsibility for product quality and public safety, strengthen risk prevention throughout the entire product lifecycle, and protect consumers’ legitimate rights and interests. Going forward, MIIT will collaborate with relevant departments to launch a campaign focused on improving manufacturing consistency and quality of road motor vehicles, address prominent issues, strengthen entry reviews and testing/verification for innovative designs, conduct supervision and inspections on enterprises’ product safety assurance capabilities and manufacturing consistency, and enhance oversight of testing and certification institutions. Enterprises and institutions found non-compliant will be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law to firmly uphold the safety baseline for automotive products.