China has achieved fruitful results in developing core technologies in the field of intelligent connected new-energy vehicles (NEVs) such as the all-solid-state lithium batteries and the Chinese-made BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS). Compared to the commonly used lithium-ion batteries in current NEVs, all-solid-state lithium batteries offer advantages such as higher safety, higher energy density, longer life span, and faster charging speed, making them as the "ultimate solution" for the next generation of power batteries.
China's solid-state batteries are projected to be integrated into NEVs by 2027, with mass production and widespread application anticipated by 2030, said a person in charge of China EV100, a new energy vehicle industry think tank.
"By the end of this year or next year, there will be some [battery] loading tests. The scale should be relatively large in 2027, but it will still be a verification phase for running tests. By 2030, there should be mass-produced products," said Ouyang Minggao, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and vice chairman of China EV100.
In addition, as many new energy vehicle companies begin to focus on intelligent driving, satellite navigation has become a key technology.
At the Vehicle BDS Comprehensive PNT (positioning, navigation, and timing) Lab in north China's Tianjin Municipality, researchers train artificial intelligence based on monitoring data to identify characteristics of satellite navigation interference sources during the vehicle driving process, thereby creating a national database of satellite signal interference.
"We have initially planned for eight typical Interference scenarios and 24 typical operating conditions, and proposed approximately 90 cases for validation test. We have also established four dimensions and 15 quantitative indicators to analyze the safety level of the product," said Gu Hongjian, deputy general manager of China Auto Information Technology (Tianjin) Co., Ltd.
China achieves fruitful results in developing core technologies related with intelligent connected NEVs
The deepening integration of sci-tech innovation and industrial innovation emerged as a key focus for potential cooperation among global business leaders at the China Development Forum 2025 held in Beijing on Sunday and Monday.
Speaking at the forum, Li Lecheng, Party secretary of the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, highlighted China's steadfast implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy.
Currently, the number of foreign-invested enterprises established in China has surpassed 1.2 million, with foreign investments spanning 31 major categories and 548 subcategories within the country's manufacturing sector.
"Promoting the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation is not a solo performance by China, but a chorus by the world. China has a complete industrial system, rich application scenarios, a super-large-scale market and a large number of talents, which provides a broad cooperation space for international industrial scientific and technological innovation," Li said.
Notably, beyond production, establishing research and development centers in China to collaborate with domestic enterprises on tackling key technical challenges has increasingly become a growing trend among foreign investors.
British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca signed a landmark agreement on Friday to invest 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in Beijing over the next five years. Under the agreement, AstraZeneca will establish a global strategic research and development center in Beijing, its sixth worldwide and second in China after one in Shanghai. The new center, equipped with an advanced artificial intelligence and data science laboratory, will accelerate early-stage drug research and clinical development.
"The reason we want to invest in China is because of the explosion of innovation that is happening in the country. As we work with those companies, we invest, of course, but we also invest in bringing our own capabilities, our own skills. We are investing in the life science physical ecosystem in Beijing, for instance, where we are actually going to help smaller startup companies come up with new products, training people who will actually be able to create economic growth," said AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot.
The economic transformation led by innovation has also brought new opportunities for foreign-funded enterprises.
"We invest in high quality growth, we invest in innovating, and we invest in cooperating with our good Chinese partners. It's a journey that has just started right now, but it also is an area where we need to work close together," said Kim Fausing, president and CEO of Danfoss, a global market leader in heating and cooling.
China integrating innovation with industrial progress resonates with global business leaders
