An NEV charging station in Taiyuan, North China’s Shanxi Province Photo: VCG

China on Thursday issued a sweeping new guideline to build a Beautiful China with a focus on green development, which aims to increase the proportion of new-energy vehicles (NEVs) in the total number of newly registered cars to 45 percent, nearly 15 percentage points higher than the level in 2023.

The guideline, which was released by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, offers a great boost for China's NEV sector, which has been growing rapidly in recent years.

In addition to increasing the number of NEVs, the guideline also stated that China will "basically" phase out cars with internal combustion engines.

The goal for NEVs is very significant. According to a recent report by China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS), the number of NEVs accounted for 30.25 percent of the total number of new car registrations in 2023.

As of the end of 2023, China's NEV fleet had grown to 20.41 million units, according for 6.07 percent of the total automobile volume. The number of pure electric vehicles reached a substantial 15.52 million, making up 76.04 percent of the total NEV count, according to the MPS report.

It is estimated that China's NEV sales in 2024 could reach 11.5 million units, up from the estimated 9.4 million in 2023, according to a report released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers on December 11, 2023.

The guideline also points out that China will continue to promote green development, further accelerating transformation in areas such as green energy and green transportation.

For instance, in terms of cargo transportation, the proportion of railway freight transportation by 2023 will stand at about 25 percent of the country's total freight turnover, according to the guideline.

Global Times