Almost all the service areas along the expressways in China have been equipped with charging facilities for new energy vehicles (NEVs), according to the Ministry of Transport.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Gao Bo, deputy director general of the ministry's Transport Service Department, said that inadequate charging piles have emerged as a challenge brought by the rapid growth of NEVs, while China is actively addressing the challenge.
The ministry, along with relevant departments, is continuously optimizing and enhancing charging services to better ensure convenient and green travel for the public, he said.
By the end of November 2024, a total of 33,100 charging piles and 49,300 charging parking spaces had been built at expressway service areas across the country, with an increase of 12,100 charging piles and 16,600 charging parking spaces compared to the end of 2023.
The proportion of expressway service areas with charging facilities has risen from 85 percent at the end of 2023 to 97 percent, achieving nearly full coverage except for some high-altitude service areas.
"Highway service areas nationwide widely use 120kW or higher fast-charging facilities. In the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Guangdong, charging stations with 600-800kW ultra-fast chargers have been built," said Gao.
In response to service areas with tight charging services, mobile charging units have been added to provide flexible charging services.
The ministry is also strengthening the sharing and integration of charging resources with urban areas, guiding vehicles at busy service areas to nearby expressway entrance and exit charging zones or idle nearby service areas, alleviating congestion and reducing waiting time.
Almost all expressway service areas equipped with NEV charging facilities in China
The first cruise ship visiting Shanghai in 2025 arrived at the Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal on Wednesday, carrying more than 400 passengers from around the world.
On May 15, 2024, China's National Immigration Administration rolled out a visa-free entry policy for foreign tourist groups entering China on cruise ships, and increased the number of cruise ports eligible for visa-free entry to 13. In December, the administration introduced a 240-hour transit visa-free policy, and added 21 entry and exit ports for those entering under the new policy.
"More than 95 percent of the passengers on this cruise ship are applicable to various visa exemption policies. For example, more than 300 passengers, representing over 93 percent, are applicable to the 15-day visa exemption for cruise groups, while some passengers are eligible for visa-free entry into China or the 240-hour transit visa exemption. It can be said that the visa exemption policies have greatly benefited our cruise inbound tourism market," said Ma Yingjie, an officer at the Pujiang border inspection station under the Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection.
The passengers on the cruise ship Silver Dawn come from different countries including the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and Germany. During the two-day stay, they will visit the Bund, the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Shanghai Museum, the National Exhibition and other places to personally feel the unique charm of Shanghai.
"Today we are going to the Water Town, and then we're back. We hope to explore the evening here the night in Shanghai. Tomorrow we are going to [eat] the dumplings," said a Swiss tourist.
According to statistics, Shanghai ports recorded 1.3759 million visits by cruise passengers in total in 2024. It is expected that the city will see more than 20 cruise ship visits in 2025.
Shanghai receives 1st visiting int'l cruise ship of 2025
