An NEV manufacturing line in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality Photo: VCG

Sales of new-energy vehicles (NEVs) in China accounted for 60 percent of the world's total from January to April, and the NEV exports have remained strong thanks to the nation's strong industry chain, said Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the China Passenger Car Association on his WeChat account.

According to Cui, global NEV sales reached 3.54 million from January to April, up 38 percent year-on-year. China's NEV sales totaled 2.11 million units, continuing to significantly surpass Europe and North America and giving China a clear advantage in NEVs.

Data from China's Ministry of Commerce showed that in the first four months this year, the proportion of NEV exports in overall export value increased by 42.9 percent, contributing 51.6 percent to the growth of the country's auto exports.

China's booming NEV market has created great opportunities for both domestic and foreign enterprises.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk visited China in May. During his meeting with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, he praised the vitality and potential of China's NEV development and expressed his confidence in the Chinese market, saying that he was willing to continue to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation.

Bosch, the world's major supplier of automotive parts and components, set up a research and development and manufacturing base of NEV core components and autonomous driving in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province in March, which will help the transformation, upgrading and innovative development of the province's automotive industry, according to the official website of Suzhou government.

Domestic leading NEV companies have all accelerated their push in overseas market.

Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD announced in March the official groundbreaking of its factory in Thailand, saying it aims to produce cars for Thailand and neighboring ASEAN members and beyond. The plant is expected to produce 150,000 electric vehicles per year.

In recent years, China has stepped up efforts to promote the development of NEVs as well as continuously improving supportive infrastructure, as the NEVs show their irreplaceable advantages under China's aggressive action to reduce carbon emissions.

South China's Guangdong Province, for instance, said in May that it will further support the consumption of NEVs and strengthen the construction of supportive facilities such as parking lots, charging piles, battery exchange stations and hydrogen refueling stations.

Global Times