A study tour to the main policy and industrial centres of China is necessary and has been recommended by several industrial actors; reading official documents and other reports will only yield a partial understanding and will not ensure relevance of our recommendations. At the study tour, individual meetings with policy makers, national think tanks and international transport related organizations will be carried out, as well as at least two roundtable discussions, one focusing on policy makers and the other on industrial development. Among the areas and actors that were studied and met with were :
– Sharing economy: China has the largest car and bike sharing schemes in the world, directly linked to industry development
– Electromobility: The Chinese mandated targets for electromobility are among the most
stringent in the world
– Digital solutions for public transport: Advanced systems for better integration are being
deployed in Beijing and Shanghai
– Autonomous vehicles: How this is being developed and regulated
– Smart grids, smart cities: How transport and urban development are linked
– City front runners: Several cities have tougher legislation than the country as a whole
With these subjects in focus, a report was developed, with individual short policy papers for several or all of the topics, as well as vlogs or short video films.
To save time and reduce costs, the study tour focused on the main venues for policy development and industrial infrastructure. Whilst this project is European in its nature, we make good use of the fact that we are well connected with the Swedish official diplomatic and trade delegation, including the Swedish ambassador to China whom was previously the climate embassador to the UNFCCC climate negotiations. These actors will be helpful in setting up meetings, round tables and provide informal, early ad hoc advise on proposed policy implications.