On August 10, Counterpoint Research provided insights into China’s newly unveiled mandatory national standard, Safety Requirements for Autonomous Driving Systems in Intelligent Connected Vehicles (GB 44721—2026). Approved and issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Standardization Administration of China on July 30, this standard is set to officially take effect on July 1, 2027. Acting as a foundational framework for market entry of L3 and L4 autonomous vehicles in China, it applies to passenger and freight vehicles equipped with L3 (conditional autonomous driving) and L4 (highly autonomous driving) systems—though automatic parking systems are excluded. The standard mandates that vehicle manufacturers establish a robust, end-to-end safeguard system across product design and development, manufacturing, and post-deployment phases, addressing four key areas: safety policy, risk management, safety assurance, and safety enhancement. It also specifies that rigorous simulation, venue-based, and on-road testing must be conducted during the research, development, and validation of autonomous driving systems. Moreover, the standard enhances the system’s ability to perform dynamic driving tasks, standardizes human-machine interaction and user notification protocols, and refines multi-dimensional inspection and testing methods to ensure the safe and compliant use of autonomous driving technologies.