Germany signs auto data sharing agreement with China

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited China on April 16, and signed a joint statement on cooperation between Germany and China in the production of self-driving cars and smart cars.

According to Reuters, Germany and China have agreed to jointly develop common standards and rules for managing data obtained during the development of self-driving cars. According to the German automobile association VDA, the agreement will allow production to be developed and resources to be saved.

The statement comes as the EU and US are concerned about the risks of Chinese technology entering European and US markets and collecting data there. But European business officials, including the China regional director of Volkswagen AG, have expressed frustration over restrictions on the transfer of Chinese data from China to Europe. This restriction is much stricter than the European regulation on the transfer of data from Europe to China.

China has reportedly tightened regulations on domestic data management, requiring all businesses to apply for a license before transferring data abroad. Last year, the Chinese auto industry tightened its data rules, proposing to ban the direct transfer of data from Chinese smart cars to foreign countries, forcing foreign companies to use Chinese cloud services.