Smart and connected vehicles have become part of people's daily lives in China, according to a senior official at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Sales of passenger vehicles with driving-assist functions totaled 2.88 million units in the first half this year in China, said Xin Guobin, vice-minister of industry and information technology.

They accounted for 32.4 percent of all passenger vehicles sold in the country during the same period and their sales went up 46.2 percent year-on-year, said Xin in a speech at the 2022 World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference.

The conference kicked off on Friday in Beijing, attracting over 200 companies to showcase their cutting-edge products and latest technologies in the fields of smart features and connectivity.

Xin said China will roll out more policies and deepen international exchanges to create a better environment for the burgeoning sector.

Highly automated driving vehicles are seen as well in specifically designated areas in China.

Most vehicles with smart functions are new energy vehicles, said Liu Zhao, vice-minister of public security, at the same conference.

Statistics from the Ministry of Public Security show that there were 10.99 million new energy vehicles on Chinese roads by the end of August this year.