#NDRC

Despite spending a fortune supporting burgeoning automotive manufacturers and opening its door to foreign enterprises, China’s state planner has approved strict new regulations on investments within the industry.

Following a handful of draft proposals earlier this year, China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced it will ban new independent businesses that make only traditional combustion engines while continuing to push for more “new energy” vehicles.

The People’s Republic has what some might call a bit of a pollution problem. But it’s also one of the largest and fastest-growing battery producers in the world; state policy aims for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. Unfortunately, this left China with hundreds of automotive startups that will never become profitable just as the country enters an economic downturn and its first year of negative car-sale growth in decades.

With a population approaching that of Australia and car sales of 700,000 new cars, or 890,000 new cars (depending on which issue of China Daily you rely more), Beijing used to be one of the most important car markets in the world’s largest car markets, China. As amply documented by TTAC, the car market in Beijing collapsed completely after city fathers ruled that new registrations have to try their luck in a license plate lottery first.

China’ top economic planners at the National Development and Reform Commission NDRC see their economic plans threatened, and are “appealing” to Beijing to change its policy.