China's auto output, sales up 10 pct in Jan-May period

China's auto industry witnessed a year-on-year increase of over 10 percent in both production and sales during the first five months of the year, indicating a stable and positive trend for the industry, according to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) on Wednesday.

The data shows that from January to May, the country's auto output totaled nearly 12.83 million units, up 12.7 percent from a year ago, while auto sales rose by 10.9 percent to some 12.75 million units.

In particular, new energy vehicles (NEVs) production surged by 45.2 percent year on year to nearly 5.7 million units in the first five months, with sales up by 44 percent year on year to 5.61 million units. The sales of NEVs accounted for 44 percent of the total new car sales.

Meanwhile, auto exports reached 2.49 million units during the same period, up 7.9 percent year on year. Among them, the export of NEVs stood at 855,000 units, marking a 64.6 percent increase year on year.

An official from the CAAM said that China's economy has sustained steady growth, driven by the expansion of domestic demand and the diversification of external demand.

This year, the policies on large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-in programs have accelerated implementation and demonstrated sustained effects. Coupled with automakers' new model launches and promotional events at various auto shows, these factors have boosted the vitality of the auto market, the official said.

Furthermore, data from the CAAM shows that in May alone, China's auto production stood at nearly 2.65 million units, up 11.6 percent year on year and 1.1 percent month on month, while auto sales totaled almost 2.69 million units, marking a year-on-year increase of 11.2 percent and a month-on-month increase of 3.7 percent.

Specifically, NEVs production and sales reached 1.27 million units and 1.307 million units, up 35 percent and 36.9 percent, respectively.

China's auto output, sales up 10 pct in Jan-May period

China's auto output, sales up 10 pct in Jan-May period

German media have reported that a suspect in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions was a Ukrainian military officer at the time of the incident.

According to Der Spiegel, a Ukrainian national suspected of involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines has been confirmed as serving in a Ukrainian special forces unit when the explosions occurred.

A letter from Ukraine's Ministry of Defense cited by the magazine said that the suspect held the rank of captain in a special operations unit between 2022 and 2023.

The report added that a former Ukrainian military officer has also confirmed the suspect served under his command during that period.

The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which run under the Baltic Sea and connect Russia with Germany and other European countries, were partially destroyed by explosions on September 26, 2022.

The suspect was arrested in Italy's Rimini province in August this year and was extradited to Germany on November 27.

Former Ukrainian military officer identified as Nord Stream Pipeline blast suspect