China drafts national law to regulate autonomous vehicles

China is advancing a major revision of its Road Traffic Safety Law, which includes a dedicated chapter for autonomous vehicles. The draft has been sent to the National People’s Congress for legislative review, marking the first time self-driving technology will be addressed at a national legislative level in the country. This move aims to replace the current patchwork of local regulations with a unified legal framework for testing, operating, and assigning liability.

The proposed law addresses liability for accidents involving autonomous systems, delineating responsibilities among drivers, owners, system operators, and developers. Specifically, if a vehicle commits a traffic violation while autonomous functions are active, the manufacturer or importer may be held responsible. If the autonomous function is not active, standard vehicle rules apply.

Accompanying the law is a new national safety standard, GB 44721-2026, targeting Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous systems. Set to take effect on July 1, 2027, the standard mandates that autonomous systems perform at a level comparable to a competent human driver. The development follows increased regulatory scrutiny after a system failure in Wuhan caused over 100 Baidu robotaxis to stall simultaneously.