China’s rise in electric vehicles was the subject of remarks by Stella Christie, Indonesia’s deputy minister for higher education, science and technology, at the Periklindo Electric Vehicle Conference 2026 in Jakarta on Oct. 28. She attributed the country’s strong position to a combination of research capacity, talent suited to market needs and government policies that support research. The article also notes that Chinese brands such as BYD have surpassed Tesla in electric-car sales, without providing figures.
Christie said EVs were rare in China in the early 2000s, before the government made EV research a national priority. Support extended beyond incentives for buyers to include funding and other incentives for research. While Japan had pursued hybrid vehicles and the U.S. already had a more developed auto industry, China chose a distinct route to catch up, concentrating on battery technology and research aimed at making batteries less expensive.
The strategy also began with lower-powered vehicles, including two-wheelers and small cars, while buses received incentives as well. Christie’s takeaway for countries seeking to build their own EV industries was to develop a strategy suited to their circumstances rather than simply reproduce another country’s approach.