China has unveiled a plan to further strengthen its advantages across the industrial chain of smart, connected new energy vehicles, with the country aiming to join the ranks of the world's leading automotive powers by 2030.
The plan also calls for the large-scale application of vehicles equipped with automated driving functions, with highly automated driving expected to be available on highways, urban expressways and some urban roads.
China aims to make further progress in key automotive technologies by 2030.
The industry is also expected to become more digitalized and intelligent, with labor productivity targeted to rise 15 percent from 2025 levels.
On autonomous driving, the plan sets an ambitious safety target, saying the safety performance of vehicles equipped with automated driving systems should be significantly better than that of human-driven vehicles.