THE government is planning a new policy package to support the growth of “green” energy vehicles, including more charging stations and support infrastructure, Xinhua said Tuesday.

    Xinhua quoted Zeng Xiao’an, a director at the Ministry of Finance, as saying that China would look to create a favorable environment for the sector through fiscal policy, and would also help to improve innovation in the sector.

    China has been rolling out policies to encourage sales of green vehicles, hoping that the industry can help the country fight pollution and reduce the country’s reliance on imported oil. The government said late last year that it will extend subsidies for new green vehicles to 2020.

    Its support has been a boon to firms such as Warren Buffett-backed BYD Co. Ltd., the country’s biggest maker of electric vehicles, which is based in Shenzhen. But it will still only subsidize purchases of locally manufactured green vehicles, excluding imported cars by foreign companies such as BMW, Tesla Motors Inc. and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.(SD-Agencies)