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U.K. authorities have invited China to test self-driving cars on British roads, as such a move can deepen the two countries’ cooperation in the realm of intelligent vehicles.

Self-driving cars represent the future of the auto industry. The U.K. is willing to cooperate with countries including China to set an international standard for driverless vehicles, Mark Wareing, counselor and strategy director at UK Trade & Investment, told Thepaper.cn in an interview.

Future products will require an open economic climate, as well as conditions that encourage cooperation, which the U.K. can offer, Wareing added.

“The intelligent car industry in China has developed quickly in recent years, yet it still faces challenges, as the country lacks laws and standards for driverless cars,” said Gao Hesheng, vice director of China Automotive Technology & Research Center.

“In order to ensure the reliability and practicability [of our products], driverless car tests should take place on real roads. Some countries can provide commercial license plates to such test cars - a service that is currently unavailable in China. Without tests, research on intelligent cars will be hindered,” said Li Wei, vice president of Chongqing Chang'an Automobile Co. Ltd.

According to Wareing, the U.K. has a mature system of laws and insurance when it comes to intelligent cars. Companies don’t need special permission to run tests, as long as they have insurance.

The U.K. government is providing £19 million to launch four driverless car schemes in four locations, hoping that the U.K. will become a world leader in the self-driving vehicle market, which could be worth £900 billion by 2025, according to a KPMG study.