China Halts New Robotaxi Licenses

China has halted the issuance of new autonomous vehicle licenses nationwide after a March incident in Wuhan where dozens of Baidu robotaxis froze in place and blocked streets. The move highlights Beijing’s willingness to intervene aggressively when safety issues arise, in stark contrast to the United States, where similar robotaxi failures from Waymo and Tesla continue under fragmented state-level rules. Despite repeated collisions, malfunctions, and federal investigations, the US still lacks a unified national safety framework for autonomous vehicles. As robotaxi usage surges toward hundreds of millions of rides per year, incidents and public resource strain are expected to grow without stronger oversight.

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