Minister: China welcomes electric vehicles from world

Wan Gang, minister of science and technology, answers questions at a press conference on the sidelines of the two sessions in Beijing, March 10, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]

China and the United States have close cooperation in electric vehicles, and China welcomes electric vehicles from around the world to enter Chinese market, bringing in diversified products and services, said Wan Gang, minister of science and technology, on Saturday.

Wan made the remarks at a news conference during the first session of the 13th National People's Congress when asked about his opinion on Tesla chief Elon Musk's public statement to US President Donald Trump that he hopes Trump can focus on the trade imbalance between the two countries caused by electric cars and related fields.

Wan said that he has not heard any problem raised since he and Musk first knew each other in 2008. "If there is any problem, I think it can be solved through mutual communication," he said. He stressed that China and the US have a close cooperation in the sector of electric vehicles.

A joint research center between the ministry and the US Department of Energy focuses on three key sectors, and electric vehicle is one of them. There is no obstacle in terms of the technological innovation cooperation between the two sides, Wan said.

"We also welcome entrepreneurs from the US to come to China. … With more exchanges and communications, there will be no obstacles on the technological innovation cooperation between the two sides," he said.

The sales volume of new energy vehicles in China has reached 770,000 last year. By the end of 2017, our holdings of new energy vehicles have exceeded 1.6 million, accounting for half of the world's total, he added.

Many efforts are underway to promote the vehicles in China, including fiscal and tax incentives, said Wan, adding that many global brands have entered Chinese market and they are produced by joint ventures in China, enjoying same treatments.