Electric cars: China to ban petrol and diesel
The world’s biggest car producer is already making the move to electric vehicles
China has announced it will ban the production and sale of petrol and diesel cars, marking a milestone in the fight to reduce pollution and carbon emissions.
While it has not yet settled on a date for the ban to come into effect, industry minister Xin Guobin told Xinhua, China’s official news agency, he had started “relevant research” that “will certainly bring profound changes for our car industry’s development”.
China produced 28 million cars last year, about one third of the global total, making it the world’s biggest car marker.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
News of ban follows promises by the UK and France to prohibit the sale of new diesel and petrol vehicles by 2040. Chinese-owned Volvo has said all its new car models will have an electric motor from 2019, while Jaguar Land Rover has made the same commitmentfrom 2020. Renault-Nissan, Ford and General Motors are also developing electric cars.
“Automakers are jostling for a slice of the growing Chinese market ahead of the introduction of new rules designed to fight pollution,” says the BBC.
The rules say at least one fifth of vehicles sold in China by 2025 must be plug-in hybrids or fully electric.
“This will also have a knock-on effect on oil demand in China, which is currently the world’s second largest oil consumer after the US”, says the BBC.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Saudi Arabia could become an AI focal pointUnder the Radar A state-backed AI project hopes to rival China and the United States
-
What you need to know about last-minute travelThe Week Recommends You can book an awesome trip with a moment’s notice
-
Codeword: October 29, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago