BEIJING, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The first phase of a designated test site for self-driving vehicles in Beijing's northeastern suburban district of Shunyi has met the technical requirements to start trial runs.

A ceremony for the test base covering a planned area of 80 hectares was held at the 2020 World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference, which concluded Friday in the city.

Construction work has been completed on phase I of a 20-hectare test field, which is designed with a complex of highway, urban and rural road environments, as well as virtual simulation and smart-city vehicle-road collaboration facilities.

Speaking at the conference, Xiao Yaqing, minister of industry and information technology, said intelligent connected vehicles are of great strategic importance for the transformation and upgrading of China's automotive industry.

The ministry will promote innovations and improve the policy environment for the high-quality development of the industry, Xiao noted.

As the permanent site of the conference, Shunyi plans to build a 200 square km demonstration area for the innovation of intelligent connected vehicles, according to Gao Peng, Party chief of Shunyi.

Beijing currently has three closed test sites for self-driving vehicles, with the two bases located in Yizhuang and Haidian districts.