The importance of the announcement is not to be underestimated, as it pertains to international harmonisation of emission standards as well as electrification and infrastructure.

Together, China and the EU – the world’s number one and two markets respectively – make up about half of global passenger car sales and production. “ACEA’s 15 members are truly global companies, with a strong presence in China and other world regions. China is also the number two destination for EU passenger car exports,” said Erik Jonnaert, ACEA Secretary General. “That is why we strongly believe in further strengthening the ties between our associations.”

Dong Yang, CAAM Executive Vice-Chairman stated: “So that the Chinese auto industry can continue to flourish, we need to strengthen our policies, standards and regulations. To this end, we are seeking extensive international cooperation to align our industry more strongly with the global market. Our cooperation with ACEA is extremely important, as it will enable us to learn from Europe’s mature standards and regulation system. This partnership will be of mutual benefit to the Chinese and European automobile industries.”

Future collaboration between the two regions will focus on three areas: ‘new energy’ vehicles and the infrastructure for charging and refuelling such alternatively-powered vehicles; the widespread introduction of connected and automated driving; and emission standards and testing for both CO2 and pollutants.