Abstract: The history in development and application of automatic welding technology and equipment for long-distance oil/gas pipeline in China and abroad are presented in this paper. Firstly, the current application of such technology in China is described in terms of physical and personnel configuration, welding equipment and process, welding material, operators, and applicable standards and regulations. Then, it is compared with the equivalent in foreign countries in view of management philosophy, equipment application, engineering application, construction organization, personnel quality, judgment standards and other aspects. Finally, future development of the technology in China is proposed. The study indicates that the automatic welding jobs should be coordinated and managed together with related upstream and downstream activities, and all disciplines and expertise of relevant managers within this system should be improved. With increasing higher steel strength, larger diameter and thicker wall of pipelines, the automatic welding joints with better comprehensive performance, especially safety and reliability, is required. It is believed that the technology will be more widely applied.