China sees surge in auto upgrade with 330 million visits to national auto trade-in platform

China's auto sales have been bolstered by the country's continuously optimized policies, including the ongoing national automobile trade-in program which has seen over 330 million visits to its information platform, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Friday.

As of Thursday, the country had received 1.57 million applications for auto scrapping and renewal subsidies, as well as 1.26 million applications for local vehicle trade-in and renewal subsidies, demonstrating a rapid growth trend, said the ministry.

In September, domestic passenger car retail sales reached 2.112 million units, up 4.5 percent year on year and accelerating 5.5 percentage points from August. In the first three weeks of October, domestic passenger car retail sales grew 16 percent year on year, and 12 percent month on month.

"The national automobile trade-in information platform has achieved 'one-stop' handling of auto scrapping and renewal subsidy applications, with over 50 million registered users and more than 330 million visits. More than 2.3 million consumers planning to apply for subsidies have completed registration on the platform," said Li Gang, director general of the Department of Market Operation and Consumption Promotion of MOFCOM.

Li said that local authorities have also developed their own vehicle trade-in and home appliance trade-in information systems to streamline and standardize the subsidy application process.

Furthermore, many regions have introduced their own trade-in subsidy policies. For instance, Shanxi and Hunan have adopted new subsidy standards for applications submitted after April 24. In addition, Hebei, Shanghai, and Chongqing have expanded the categories of subsidized appliances beyond the eight specified by the central government. Other regions such as Jiangsu, Anhui, and Yunnan have dynamically adjusted their home renovation subsidy ranges to include smart home devices and textiles, aiming to provide consumers with greater benefits.

The surge in visits and subsidy applications underscore the effectiveness of China's optimized auto policies in driving consumer demand and facilitating the upgrade and renewal of the country's vehicle fleet. As the trade-in program continues to evolve, it is expected to provide ever-greater benefits to Chinese consumers.

China sees surge in auto upgrade with 330 million visits to national auto trade-in platform

The international community should work together to prevent the escalation and spread of the tensions in the Middle East, which could undermine Syria's security and stability, a Chinese envoy said on Wednesday.

Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, made the statement at a UN Security Council meeting on political and humanitarian issues in Syria.

"Tensions in the Middle East persist, and their spillover effects continue to spread, introducing new complexities to the already fragile situation in Syria. At present, the situation is at a critical juncture between war and peace. China calls on all parties concerned to seize this window of opportunity for peace, exercise maximum restraint, demonstrate the utmost sincerity, and continue to resolve disputes through political and diplomatic channels so as to achieve a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire. The international community should work together to prevent the escalation and spread of conflict in the Middle East, which could undermine Syria's security and stability," he said.

Fu said China calls on the Syrian transitional government to fulfill its international obligations and take all effective measures to resolutely combat all international terrorist organizations listed by the UN Security Council, including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.

China respects Syria's sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity, and Israel should withdraw from the Syrian territory as soon as possible, Fu said.

China calls for concerted int'l efforts to shield Syria from regional conflict