China's electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure continued its rapid expansion, with the total number of facilities in the country surging 54 percent year on year to 18.64 million units by the end of October, according to official data released on Wednesday.
Public EV charging facilities stood at about 4.53 million units, an increase of 39.5 percent year on year, according to the National Energy Administration.
Private charging facilities expanded at an even faster pace, rising by 59.4 percent to nearly 14.11 million units, the administration said.
The robust growth in charging infrastructure is in line with the steady expansion of China's new energy vehicle (NEV) market. By the end of 2027, China aims to establish a nationwide network of 28 million charging facilities, with public charging capacity surpassing 300 million kilowatts -- sufficient to meet the demand of more than 80 million EVs, as outlined in a government plan on Oct 15.
China's EV charging infrastructure maintains robust growth
U.S. President Donald Trump said he is strongly considering pulling the United States out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) after the alliance failed to join the attacks on Iran, The Telegraph reported on Wednesday.
When asked if he would reconsider America's membership in the alliance after the conflict, he said the question is "beyond reconsideration," adding, "I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger."
Trump also expressed dissatisfaction with NATO for "not being there," saying it was "actually hard to believe."
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Trump would make a decision on the future of NATO given the fact that some U.S. allies refuse to provide support, after the end of U.S. military operations against Iran.
Following Trump's criticism, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he is not changing his position on the war.
Multiple European countries have kept their distance from the conflict with Iran. Starmer on Monday said his country will not get dragged into the conflict "whatever the pressure and whoever it's coming from," while Spain on Monday closed its airspace to all flights related to the U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran.
Trump calls NATO 'paper tiger,' considers withdrawal
