Robin Li (right), co-founder and CEO of Baidu, experiences the interior of a self-driving robocar. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The application of smart transportation technologies will significantly bring down the current level of carbon emissions and alleviate traffic problems, and internet companies in China need to do more in technological innovation to sharpen their competitiveness, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee said.

Robin Li, a member of the 13th CPPCC National Committee and co-founder and CEO of Chinese tech giant Baidu, said on the sidelines of the ongoing CPPCC session on Monday that smart transportation technologies will contribute significantly to reducing carbon emissions, as it will increase efficiency in road transportation, adding that transportation is currently a sector that generates a big proportion of carbon emissions.

He said the ongoing trend of artificial intelligence has been noticed around the globe. And in this area, China and the United States have their own advantages. He said the US is strong in basic research of AI technologies, and China has performed better in scenario applications, and the two countries need to better cooperate and learn from each other.