China launches 2025 new energy vehicle rural promotion campaign

China on Saturday kicked off its 2025 new energy vehicle (NEV) rural promotion campaign in Rugao City, east China's Jiangsu Province, with a record 124 qualified vehicle models - up from 99 last year - now available to rural consumers.

Jointly organized by five central government departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the National Development and Reform Commission, this year's campaign features multiple support measures covering vehicle purchases, usage and maintenance.

"We are integrating policy tools such as vehicle trade-in programs and county-level charging/swapping infrastructure improvements to enhance after-sales services covering the entire vehicle lifecycle, that is purchase, usage, and maintenance. At the same time, we are strengthening policy coordination in giving preferences to channeling high-quality resources toward rural areas," said Yao Zhenzhi, deputy director of the MIIT's Equipment Industry Development Center.

The campaign has demonstrated remarkable results since its 2020 launch, with annual sales of promoted NEV models surging from 397,000 units to nearly 7.6 million in 2024, outpacing the corresponding urban market growth, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

"Models from the recommendations catalog have achieved cumulative sales of nearly 15 million units, demonstrating that these models are mainstream choices favored by consumers," said Fu Bingfeng, the association's executive vice president.

Local governments and automakers will offer additional subsidies and after-sales packages during the campaign, which is expected to set new sales records this year.

China launches 2025 new energy vehicle rural promotion campaign

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday that the country is at a critical stage and must achieve national unity, emphasizing that maintaining internal cohesion is of utmost importance.

In a televised address, Rodriguez called on the public to continue trusting the government under the current highly complex political circumstances.

Her statement comes in the wake of a January 3 military operation conducted by the United States, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were taken into custody and flown out of the country.

The operation resulted in at least 100 fatalities.

Rodriguez, who was sworn in as acting president two days later on January 5, framed her appeal for unity against this backdrop of external intervention.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information Freddy Nanez denounced the U.S. actions as a "war crime of the 21st century" when speaking at an international cultural event on Sunday.

Nanez condemned not only the January 3 airstrikes but also the associated cyber and electromagnetic attacks.

He accused the United States of violating international law through the forced removal of President Maduro and his wife, while attacks on civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, represent a flagrant breach of humanitarian norms.

He reiterated that the stigmatization and military attacks against Venezuela are driven by economic interests, particularly the desire to control its abundant natural resources.

Venezuelan acting president calls for national unity amid complex situation