China has ranked first in the world in new energy vehicle production and sales for six consecutive years, with cumulative sales of 5.5 million units, Chinese officials said today.

Xiao Yaqing, Minister of the Industry and Information Technology of China, introduced the development of China's new energy vehicle industry during a news conference the morning of March 1.

China has issued about 60-plus supportive policies in recent years, and the development of the new energy vehicle industry has achieved positive results, Xiao said, adding that China's new energy vehicle sales are 10.9 percent in 2020 and show a continuous growth trend.

"We also need to see soberly that the development of new energy vehicles is still in a critical period of climbing, and competition in the market for new energy vehicles themselves is fierce," he said.

New energy vehicles still have a lot of problems in technology, quality, and consumers' feelings, which need to be further solved, according to Xiao.

"We need to further improve standards and strengthen quality supervision according to the needs of the market, especially the experience of users," he said.

The development of new energy vehicles cannot be separated from the layout of charging and battery swap infrastructure, and China has to improve measures including charging and parking, as well as improve the level of electrification of public transportation, he said.

The Chinese government aims to improve quality standards for new energy vehicles and promote the integration of new energy vehicles with the Internet of Things, Xiao said.

China produced 1.46 million new energy vehicles in 2020, up 17.3 percent from the previous year, the National Bureau of Statistics of China said on Sunday.

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China ranks No. 1 in production and sales of EVs for 6 consecutive years-CnEVPost