More license agreements sought abroad

The Ministry of Public Security will negotiate with relevant countries to simplify the procedures for recognizing Chinese driver's licenses there, the ministry said on Thursday.

With economic development, more Chinese are going to foreign countries for business, travel and study, so it's inevitable that there will be an increasing need for Chinese to drive in the foreign destinations, the ministry said.

"We will communicate with relevant countries to further expand the scope for recognizing and exchanging our driver's licenses in their countries, then improve our licenses' international recognition," said Liu Zhao, director of the ministry's Traffic Management Bureau.

According to the ministry, China has signed agreements with more than 30 countries and regions on the mutual recognition and replacement of driver's licenses, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France and New Zealand.

The requirements and conditions for applying for a driver's license vary by country and even within a country, such as in the United States, where requirements vary by state, said Li Rui, a law professor at People's Public Security University of China.

The priority for the ministry will be to "communicate with relevant countries one by one and sign agreements with them to simplify the procedures for Chinese driver's licenses being recognized in foreign countries, including canceling examinations and making it convenient to replace a driver's license," she added.