Chinese and German carmakers met in their first joint working group session of the year to align standards for smart connected vehicles, aiming for cooperation amid mounting trade friction over Chinese exports to Europe.More than 40 representatives from industry bodies, research institutes and carmakers – including China’s BYD, Geely, SAIC, Xpeng and Xiaomi, alongside Germany’s Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen and Porsche – attended the meeting in Beijing, according to a statement by the China Automotive Standardisation Research Institute on Thursday.The two sides discussed China’s autonomous driving pilot programmes, European safety guidelines for driver assistance on semi-automated cars, and automated parking standards. The delegations also launched a joint Sino-German research project on standardising cross-border automotive data flows.The push for cooperation comes as Chinese carmakers seek to validate their driverless technology in European markets, which have become increasingly important as sales growth lags at home.The logo of Chinese autonomous driving start-up Momenta is seen on the facade of its office building in Beijing, March 13, 2020. Photo: ReutersAutonomous driving start-up Momenta was the first Chinese company to secure nationwide urban road testing approval for Level 4 – the same level of automation in commercial robotaxis – in Germany, according to a company announcement on Wednesday.