On 23 June 2026, the National Standardization Administration of China (SAC) announced that a Chinese-proposed international standard, X.vrcmp-sec: Security requirements for vehicle-road coordination management platform, has been formally approved for development by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The newly approved international standard draws on the research findings of an association standard developed by the China Society of Automotive Engineers (CSAE), T/CSAE 295.7—2026, Vehicle-road-cloud integrated system – Part 7: Information security specifications.

The standard identifies security threats facing vehicle-road coordination management platforms and sets out corresponding requirements, providing a framework for securing cloud control infrastructure and guidance for other intelligent transportation platforms in the connected and autonomous vehicle space.

In its official announcement, SAC said it will continue to promote forward-looking association standards in frontier and critical technology areas, deepen international cooperation, and push for more homegrown association standards to be converted into international standards.

This milestone reflects years of deliberate planning. In 2022, SAC issued the Opinions on Promoting the High-Quality Development of Association Standards, urging bodies to produce market-responsive standards and submit international proposals based on Chinese association standards to ISO, IEC, IEEE and ITU.

In 2023, the Interim Provisions on the Adoption of Association Standards as Recommended National Standards created a formal pathway for association standards to become GB/T standards. Since then, conversions have surged, with SAC approving batches of association standards for conversion. In January 2026 alone, SAC approved the conversion of 76 association standards covering telecommunications, video technology, semiconductors, non-ferrous metals and other fields.

In June 2026, SAC released a draft revision of 20262052-T-469 Social organization standardization – Code for good practice for public comment, drawing wide attention in the Chinese standardization circle. The draft would replace GB/T 20004.1-2016 Social organization standardization – Part 1: Guidelines for good practice and GB/T 20004.2-2018 Social organization standardization – Part 2: Guidelines for evaluation of good practice. The existing standards, which serve as key references for assessing whether association standards can be converted to national standards, were designed to support the above-mentioned Interim Provisions. The draft for Comment was renamed from “Guidelines” to “Code for good practice” to enhance its normative character. Additionally, a new chapter on internationalization has been introduced, with a specific focus on facilitating and supporting foreign-invested enterprises.

In China, association standards are industry driven and seen as engines of innovation rather than mere baseline safeguards. They also carry a reputation for being faster and more flexible than national standards. Since the start of the 15th Five Year Plan, China has repeatedly stressed the importance of standards innovation and rapid iteration, a priority reflected in the 2026 work plans of many technical committees. Beyond national technical committees, association standards have become a key channel for delivering on that goal.

For European stakeholders, X.vrcmp-sec marks the beginning of Chinese association standards going global. Alongside the conversion of national standards to international ones, association standards, especially those singled out by SAC, deserve close attention. European stakeholders are advised to monitor this emerging approach closely. SESEC will provide timely updates.

Source: https://www.sac.gov.cn/xw/bzhdt/art/2026/art_d0a86bb95e7e4f37b8f1af7fd152e0b3.html