China News Service, Paris, October 13. The 12th local time is the first day of the 2026 Paris Auto Show. The "2026 China-EU Automotive Industry Development Forum" was held in Paris, France on the same day, with in-depth exchanges on key industry issues such as the green and intelligent development of the China-EU auto industry and compliance supervision.
On October 12, local time, the "2026 China-EU Automotive Industry Development Forum" was held in Paris, France. Photo provided by the organizer
This forum is jointly guided by China Automotive Technology and Research Center Co., Ltd. (CATARC) and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the European Union, hosted by China Automotive Technology Research Center (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., and supported by the China Chamber of Commerce and Industry in France. Nearly 200 representatives from Chinese and European government departments, international organizations, industry associations, testing and certification agencies and automobile companies attended the forum.
Zhou Hua, deputy general manager of China Automotive Technology and Research Center Co., Ltd., and Fang Dongkui, secretary-general of the China Chamber of Commerce in the European Union, delivered opening speeches. Fang Dongkui said that the Chinese and European automobile industries have complementary advantages and broad space for cooperation. The just-concluded second regular meeting of China-EU trade and investment consultations achieved substantial results and formed a series of outcome lists and consensus. He said that creating stable policy expectations and a predictable business environment are crucial for Chinese companies in the European automotive field to expand investment and deepen their presence in Europe. Chinese companies in Europe look forward to working with European partners to strengthen standard docking, technology collaboration and industrial chain integration to jointly promote the green and intelligent transformation of the automotive industry and long-term mutual benefit and win-win results.
Zhou Hua said that the Chinese and European automobile industries are deeply bound and mutually beneficial, with two-way investment, technological collaboration, and trade exchanges continuing to deepen. The two sides have broad space for deepening collaboration, complementary advantages, and win-win development in areas such as industrial transformation, product research and development, standards and regulations, market access, and supply chain cooperation. He said that CATARC has always regarded Europe as a key area for its international development, and worked with European authorities to provide one-stop technical services for Chinese car companies to develop in Europe, and accurately supported European car companies in the fields of standard policies, testing and certification, R&D verification, etc. to adapt to the iterative rhythm of the Chinese market and integrate into the industrial ecology.
During the keynote speech session, Li Haibin, general manager of China Automotive Research Institute Automotive Inspection Center (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., believed that the green development of China's automobile industry is extending from the promotion of new energy vehicles to full life cycle governance, and intelligent development is also paying more attention to software and hardware collaboration, testing and verification, and safety assurance. China-EU cooperation is moving from market complementarity to technology, standards, and ecological collaboration. The two sides can deepen joint innovation around core areas such as carbon footprint, recycling, autonomous driving, smart cockpits, and car-to-road cloud, and jointly address challenges such as supply chain resilience and product safety.
Maria Linkova-Nijs, executive director of policy and strategy at the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), said that more than 50 Chinese car brands are currently doing business in the EU; in 2025, Chinese vehicle manufacturers will account for approximately 28% of the EU electric bus market, and the truck market share will be approximately 1.2%. She pointed out that the European automobile industry faces competitiveness challenges such as high energy costs and a declining share of global automobile production, and corporate profit expectations continue to be under pressure. She also introduced the position of the European automobile industry on carbon emission policies and regulations such as the Industrial Acceleration Act, and expressed her expectation to deepen cooperation in the Chinese and European automobile industries and enhance the global competitiveness of European manufacturing.
François Guichard, representative of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), delivered a special speech on the current status and future trends of the United Nations automotive technical regulations. Alexandre Català, Senior Director of International Affairs of CATARC, introduced CATARC’s international development and service capabilities for the Chinese and European automotive industries.
Guests attending the meeting believed that China-EU automobile industry cooperation is entering a new stage, and green and low-carbon, intelligent network connection, regulatory coordination and compliance supervision have become key areas of common concern for both parties. Strengthening policy communication, technical exchanges and standard docking will help reduce corporate compliance costs and promote mutual benefit and win-win results for the Chinese and European automotive industries. (over)
