China launches "AI plus Transport" initiative to accelerate industry transformation

China has officially launched an "AI plus Transportation" action plan to accelerate the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the country's transport sector, the Ministry of Transport said Thursday.

The ministry made the announcement at a press conference in Beijing, marking the full-scale launch of the initiative aimed at accelerating the large-scale commercial deployment of new technologies, equipment and business models in the transport sector.

The plan focuses on 10 major areas including intelligent driving, smart highways, intelligent railways, smart civil aviation and intelligent multi-modal transport. The ministry has released guidelines for 41 key scenarios and initiated the first batch of pilot projects.

"In recent years, we have accelerated the deep integration of AI and transportation, focusing on four major directions: infrastructure, transportation vehicles and equipment, transportation services, and industry governance. The technologies have been implemented in 860 scenarios covering the entire fields of railway, public transportation, water, aviation, and postal services," said Xu Wenqiang, director of the ministry's Science and Technology Department at the press conference.

Projects meeting the criteria of being technologically mature, grounded in real-world applications and scalable across the industry will be included in an innovation repository, with access to policy guidance, standardization services and promotion support.

"There are three core objectives of this action plan. First, to ensure the implementation of the macro policies. Second, to break down the barriers between technology and industry supply and demand. Last but not the least, to use AI to fix the weak links of the industry," Xu said.

AI has already been widely deployed across China's transport sector, with the railway industry emerging as a major application platform.

Liu Yan, deputy director of the National Railway Administration's Department of Science, Technology and Law, said, "We are strengthening the construction of key laboratories and engineering research centers related to artificial intelligence technologies such as intelligent operation and maintenance of high-speed trains, and intelligent control of train autonomous operation, promoting the construction of pilot bases for AI implementation in the railway industry."

In parallel, the Ministry of Transport and the National Data Administration are jointly building high-quality data resources for the industry, aiming to establish a comprehensive data map within three to five years to support the sector's digital transformation.

By 2030, a number of large models are expected to be deployed across China's transport industry, with AI set to significantly improve operational efficiency and drive overall sector development, authorities said.

China launches "AI plus Transport" initiative to accelerate industry transformation

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Energy Think Tank Forum was held in Dalian City, northeast China's Liaoning Province on Thursday, bringing together more than 100 representatives from 17 member economies of the APEC, international organizations, think tanks, and research institutions.

Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on energy security and regional resilience, energy technology and innovation cooperation, and multilateral cooperation and think tank network building, aiming to pool intellectual consensus for deepening practical regional energy cooperation and promoting shared prosperity in the Asia-Pacific.

Energy serves as a cornerstone of Asia-Pacific economic prosperity.

Faced with the current complex and volatile international energy situation, participants reached a consensus that Asia-Pacific economies should further eliminate barriers through institutionalized cooperation, coordinate energy security with green transition, strengthen collaborative innovation in key core technologies, promote interconnectivity in regional energy markets, and build an open and resilient Asia-Pacific energy security system.

However, uneven energy development within the region remains prominent. Energy access for remote areas and low-income groups still has shortcomings, and the energy transition process must also guard against excessively rapid increases in energy costs for people's livelihoods.

"We should adhere to a people-centered approach and integrate the concept of inclusive benefit throughout all aspects of energy cooperation, continuously promoting the extension of energy infrastructure to underdeveloped regions, and enhancing the stability and coverage of basic energy services," said Xiong Minfeng, Deputy Director General of the International Cooperation Department of the National Energy Administration of China.

The forum released a report on China and APEC energy cooperation.

The report shows that since joining the APEC in 1991, China has continuously aligned its energy development strategies with those of other economies, with cooperation covering traditional energy, new energy, electricity, and other fields, spanning the entire chain of investment, trade, and infrastructure. This has formed an energy cooperation pattern featuring complementary supply and demand, green empowerment, interconnection and supply chain stability, and collaborative governance, contributing Chinese strength to regional energy common security and sustainable development.

"The report targets 2030 and 2050. We need to persist in energy cooperation, which has formed an international practice and international consensus," said Lu Ruquan, Director of the Economics and Technology Research Institute of the China National Petroleum Corporation.

The 16th APEC Energy Ministerial Meeting is scheduled to be held in Beijing from Sept 10 to 11.

APEC Energy Think Tank Forum held to advance regional cooperation