An aerial drone photo taken on March 25, 2026 shows an autonomous vehicle undergoing a test at Neolix, an autonomous vehicle manufacturer, in Yancheng, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

China will take further measures to advance a special campaign on automobile quality improvement as part of its efforts to refine the industry's modern governance system and ensure safety, an official said on Wednesday.

The country will step up efforts to ensure the implementation of a set of mandatory national standards for autonomous driving, and accelerate the formulation of standards in key areas such as automated parking, operation monitoring and data security, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology Xin Guobin said at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference in Beijing.

Scheduled to last for one year, the special campaign was jointly initiated in late August by four government departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The campaign is designed to regulate the competitive order of the auto industry, and safeguard the bottom line of product safety.

Efforts to regulate market competition order will be further intensified, Xin said at the conference, which is being held from Oct. 21 to 23 in Yizhuang, Beijing.

Organizers said at a press conference last month that cooperation on autonomous-driving technology and coordination on standards and rules will be key topics at this year's conference.

It will also present the full development path of intelligent connected vehicles (ICVs), from research and development, testing and validation, and scenario-based pilots to large-scale application.

China's ICV industry has achieved tangible results and entered a critical stage when technological breakthroughs and commercialization are advancing in parallel, Xin noted.

As ICVs are increasingly used in real-world scenarios, expectations for product safety and reliability are rising.

Xin said the MIIT will strive to promote the sustainable development of the ICV sector by focusing on key areas such as energy and power, intelligent chassis and intelligent connectivity, while supporting leading enterprises in forming innovation consortia.

Efforts will also be made to upgrade ICV infrastructure, and carry out pilots on the integration of vehicles, roads and cloud, he said, adding that the pilot program of ICV market access and road operation will be advanced in a prudent manner.