As China's new energy vehicle sector enters a new development stage, the country will accelerate R&D and industrialization of key technologies, such as automotive chips and operating systems, while coping with challenges and embracing opportunities, Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng said on Thursday.

China is the largest producer and consumer of cars and has ranked first worldwide for the six consecutive years in production and sales volume, Han said while addressing the 2021 World New Energy Vehicle Congress (WNEVC) via a video link.

The three-day WNEVC, themed "Comprehensively promoting marketization, accelerating cross-industry integration, jointly achieving carbon neutrality," kicked off on September 15 in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province.

In recent years, China has made efforts to develop the NEVs industry to meet the country's goals of a carbon peak by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality nationwide by 2060.

China has formed an effective industrial chain of the NEVs industry, with leading technology of key components and parts, Han said.

Besides technological innovation, Han also stressed adhering to the market-driven strategy while China improves the industrial management and supportive policies.

China will speed up infrastructure construction, promote public and private consumption of NEVs, and continue to expand the scale of NEVs application, he added.