China did not include new energy vehicles (NEVs) in the list of strategic emerging industries in the recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan, marking the first omission since the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011–2015) and raising questions about the sector’s strategic positioning.
The recommendations, released on October 28, call for “accelerating the development of strategic emerging industry clusters, including new energy, new materials, aerospace, and the low-altitude economy.” Adopted by the fourth plenary session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on October 23, the 15th Five-Year Plan will run from 2026 through 2030.
Analysts say the omission reflects the growing maturity of China’s NEV sector. Ji Xuehong, director of the Automobile Industry Innovation Research Center at North China University of Technology, said the NEV industry has developed strong international competitiveness and has become one of the country’s leading sectors.
As the market matures, he noted, resources are increasingly being directed toward emerging fields that still require significant cultivation, such as the low-altitude economy, new materials, and embodied intelligence. This reallocation, he added, will not only enhance China’s overall technological competitiveness but also benefit the NEV industry in the long term.
The recommendations emphasize “high-quality development” and “structural policies,” signaling a shift from broad-based policy support to more targeted efforts, according to Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). He explained that the goal is to guide the NEV industry from being policy-driven to market-driven, helping it achieve sustainable growth.
Cui stressed that the next phase of development should focus on intelligent connected NEVs, with an emphasis on electrification and technological breakthroughs. He highlighted the need to avoid “blind expansion” and low-level repetitive construction, suggesting that both regulatory and policy tools, such as trade-in programs, purchase tax incentives, and capacity warning mechanisms, should be effectively used to balance supply and demand.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is preparing a development plan for the intelligent connected NEV industry under the 15th Five-Year framework, Vice Minister Xin Guobin said. The plan will promote the integration of artificial intelligence with the automotive sector and strengthen breakthroughs in key technologies, including next-generation electronic and electrical architectures and high-performance computing chips.
Meanwhile, NEV sales continue to surge in China. According to the CPCA, the adoption rate of NEVs reached 53.5 percent at wholesale and 57.8 percent at retail in September, both record highs. Sales of passenger cars equipped with combined driving assistance features accounted for over 60 percent of total sales, underscoring the sector’s rapid evolution toward smarter, more connected vehicles.
The 15th Five-Year Plan’s approach signals a broader trend: as NEVs become a mature and globally competitive industry, policy focus is shifting toward nurturing emerging sectors while ensuring the continued advancement of intelligent and high-tech automotive solutions.
