BEIJING - China will step up efforts to advance the construction of battery swap infrastructure in the latest move to promote quality growth of the new-energy vehicle (NEV) sector, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said Thursday.

The battery swap mode will be piloted in regions including Beijing and Hainan, Xin Guobin, vice-minister of MIIT, told a press conference.

Leading the world in NEV output and sales in the past five years, China has built 38,000 battery charging stations, 449 battery swap stations, and 1.3 million charging poles, MIIT data shows.

Despite its rapid expansion, the sector lacks strong core technologies and charging convenience, he said.

The battery swap mode, conducive to extending the life of batteries, will help enhance safety and lower costs for NEV buyers, according to Xin.

Enterprises are also encouraged to develop new battery charging and swapping technologies, according to the MIIT.