The cooperation between China and Germany in the field of internet-connected cars will pave the way for borderless connectivity in the future and highlights the importance of intergovernmental cooperation amid a heightened trade row between China and the U.S., said a Chinese expert.
On Monday, China and Germany announced a cooperative document aimed at enhancing high-level government talks and governmental, association-level and corporate-level cooperation on automated driving and internet-connected cars, according to a statement on the website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Tuesday.
The cooperation will include digital infrastructure data sharing as well as jointly pushing for a unified international solution on radio frequency.
Xiang Ligang, chief executive of domestic telecom industry news site cctime.com, told the Global Times on Tuesday that fifth generation (5G) telecommunication technology is poised to bring immense social changes, and smart and internet-connected transportation is a major application of 5G technology.
"The cooperation document signed between China and Germany in areas such as frequency will help pave the way for connectivity across national borders in the future, for example, internet-connected cars made in Germany could drive on Chinese roads and vice versa," Xiang said, noting there will be compatibility that will reduce costs and enable mass production.
Furthermore, cooperation between governments, by drawing up related standards and agreements in internet-connected car telecommunication technology, is a rebuttal of unilateralism and protectionism demonstrated in the current trade war waged by the U.S. government, according to Xiang.
Zhang Yu, head of Shanghai-based consulting firm Automotive Foresight, told the Global Times on Tuesday that as 5G is a prerequisite for internet-connected cars, the earlier rolling out of 5G test fields in China would allow China to test smart cars in such areas.
China is leading the world in 5G development through the formation of a 5G development ecosystem, experts said.
According to a report by International Data Corp on July 4, the Chinese market will see expenditures in the internet-of-things (IoT) reach $300 billion by 2022, accounting for a quarter of the global market and surpassing the U.S. as the top IoT market.
Among the many application scenarios for IoT technology, internet-connected cars will see the fastest growth.
Daimler AG, owner of the Mercedes brand, signed a cooperation document with China's Tsinghua University on Monday, saying it will invest millions of yuan in the next three years in the research of automated driving and smart transportation.
Volkswagen Group China, Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp and Berlin-based SEAT will jointly set up a new research & development center for developing technology, including autonomous driving technology, by 2021.
