Changan Automobile conducted an autonomous driving test from Chongqing on April 12 to Beijing. [Photo provided To China Daily]

Chinese officials and experts urged improvements to regulations in the sector and called for the establishment of cross-ministry cooperation on automated and connected vehicles, specifically autonomous driving technologies. Changan Automobile has just conducted an autonomous driving test from Chongqing to Beijing, after BMW and Baidu's joint test in December in Beijing.

Technically, these tests on public roads are illegal in China, because current regulations prohibit drivers taking hands off the steering wheel. In contrast, surveys have found high acceptance among Chinese people of the new technologies. But to advance the technology, carmakers and institutes need to work in a favorable environment, at least validating the insurance. The majority of the similar tests were conducted by international carmakers in the United States.