China's year-to-date new energy vehicle (NEV) production volume exceeded the 10-million mark in November, propelling the country into a global pioneer in achieving this landmark figure.

Fu Bingfeng, executive vice president and secretary general of China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), said the NEV production breakthrough, announced on November 21, is "a new milestone in the history of China's automobile industry development". It marks the moment that the scale of China's NEV industry reached a new level, he added.

It is a portrayal of the vitality of China's NEVs, reflecting the vigorous development of China's auto industry and the country's active efforts to promote green and low-carbon development, according to Yang Zhusong, associate researcher at the School of Public Policy and Management of Tsinghua University.

In 2015, China's NEV production and sales ranked first in the world and have remained in the leading position. According to data from the CAAM, by 2023, China's NEV production and sales accounted for more than 60 percent of the world's total. Experts predict China's total NEV output will surpass 12 million units by the end of this year.

Global market research firm Rho Motion's data shows that in October, global sales of NEVs increased by 35 percent year-on-year, with sales in China soaring by 54 percent, driving growth in the global market.

Analysts believe the rapid development of China's NEV industry is not only conducive to the transformation of the nation's auto industry, but also for the global shift toward green transportation.

UN Secretary General António Guterres pointed out on World Sustainable Transport Day 2023 that greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector account for about a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, and 91 percent of the energy used for land, sea and air motor transportation comes from fossil fuels. This means that the low-carbon development of travel tools is crucial to achieving global emission reduction goals.

Developing NEVs is an important way to achieve carbon neutrality in the transportation sector. According to the International Energy Agency, to reach the carbon neutrality goal, global NEV sales should reach 45 million by 2030.

If Chinese auto international factories are included, the nation's NEV contribution to the world is far more than the 10 million vehicles. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics indicates that China's NEVs helped reduce carbon emissions by about 50 million tons in 2023, projecting that year's emissions reduction will be even greater.

"Open cooperation is the key to driving innovation and development of new energy vehicles," Bai Ming, a member of the academic degree committee at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing, said, adding that strengthening cooperation with China in the field of NEVs will be beneficial to all parties, and will provide the world with more high-quality products to promote global green development.

From the perspective of global energy transformation, breaking high tariffs and trade barriers, opening up the circulation of green products, strengthening solidarity, and abandoning unilateralism are the inherent meaning of climate cooperation.

If countries can develop green industries and trade with a more open and inclusive attitude, the world's next "green milestone" will come sooner, rather than later.