China Leads Development of UN Autonomous Driving Regulations

[Policy Breakthrough] The United Nations Global Technical Regulation on Automated Driving Systems (ADS GTR) has been officially released, with China as one of the leading parties.

Core Development: China spearheads the implementation of the world’s first unified autonomous driving regulation

At the 199th session of the United Nations World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (UN/WP.29) held in Geneva from June 22–26, 2026, the ADS GTR was adopted. It was jointly led by China, the European Union, the United States, Japan, and two other parties, marking a critical step forward in establishing a global standardization framework for autonomous driving.

Key Data: Level 3 vehicles accelerate toward market deployment; 60% of new cars already equipped with driver assistance systems

In China, the penetration rate of combined driver assistance systems in new vehicles exceeds 60%. Conditional approval for the first two Level 3 models is expected by December 2025. Germany and Japan were the first to approve Level 3 vehicles in 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Strategic Foundation: Filling the global regulatory gap and unifying the technical oversight framework

Previously, countries operated independently without harmonized regulations. Since 2018, China has actively participated in the WP.29/GRVA working group, promoting the establishment of a globally coordinated mechanism covering safety, testing, and validation.