Cai Qi Declares Opening

On the morning of September 25, the 2021 World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference (WICV) kicked off at the China International Exhibition Center in Shunyi District. Cai Qi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, declared it open. Chen Jining, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Mayor of Beijing, attended the opening ceremony.

Chen Jining Delivers a Speech

In his speech, Chen welcomed the attendees and emphasized Beijing’s significant commitment to the intelligent connected vehicle (ICV) industry. With robust support from relevant ministries and commissions and collaborative efforts of domestic and international enterprises and institutions, the city has completed Phase 1.0 of the high-level autonomous driving demonstration area and established China’s first dedicated area for piloting ICV policies. The vehicle-road collaboration system has developed preliminary capacity to serve external scenarios, the clustering of leading enterprises is proving effective, and an ecosystem for the autonomous driving industry is gradually taking shape. Moving forward, in alignment with its smart city development strategy, Beijing will leverage the high-level autonomous driving demonstration area to enhance its competitive edge in ICV innovation and development. The focus should be on building an innovation ecosystem to advance the iterative R&D of the vehicle-road collaboration system for breakthroughs in underlying key technologies, and developa V2G software and hardware technology system. With a forward-looking approach, Beijing will improve regulations, promote the formulation and implementation of relevant standards, and ensure data management and information security. Furthermore, efforts should be made to accelerate the construction and renovation of roadside infrastructure for larger-scale ICV testing and application.

Inspecting Innovation Outcomes

Liu Zhao, Vice Minister of Public Security; Wang Zhiqing, Vice Minister of Transport; and Wang Jinzhan, Secretary of the Secretariat of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), delivered speeches at the opening ceremony. There was also a video message from Oliver Zipse, President of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) and Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. Following the opening ceremony, the leaders and guests visited the exhibition on new energy vehicle (NEV) industry development. This year’s WICV is hosted by the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Transport, and the CAST. It stands as a high-level and influential international conference with the largest size in the ICV sector. Themed “Introducing New Intelligence, Creating a Green Future”, the conference was held both online and offline, featuring more than 10 thematic events such as the main forum, thematic summits, and international cooperation roundtables, as well as an exhibition on the development achievements of the NEV industry.

Other attendees include Xin Guobin, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology; Yin Yong, Vice Mayor of Beijing; experts and scholars from international organizations, domestic and foreign research institutes, and industry associations; and representatives of well-known enterprises.