On April 22, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the "Directive on Advancing Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction at a Higher Level and with Higher Quality" for public release. The Directive outlines 15 key tasks, spanning from the coordinated advancement of energy conservation, carbon reduction, and green transformation to the vigorous promotion of energy conservation and carbon reduction in key sectors. Crucially, it sets out explicit deployments for the transportation sector, calling for the robust development of rail and waterway transportation, the active promotion of electric and hydrogen-fueled heavy-duty trucks and green-fueled vessels, and the construction of zero-carbon transport corridors.

The Directive stipulates the need to vigorously develop rail and waterway transportation, continuously enhance the efficiency and environmental performance of road transport, improve the operational efficiency of civil aviation air traffic management, and actively promote multimodal transport. Regarding green transportation infrastructure, it mandates the upgrading of facilities and equipment—including transport hubs and expressways—to higher levels of environmental sustainability and intelligence, alongside the development of comprehensive networks for charging and battery-swapping stations and shore power facilities.

On the promotion of transport equipment, the Directive explicitly calls for the deployment of energy-saving and low-carbon vehicles and vessels, the rational optimization of vehicle energy consumption limits, the active development of electric and hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks and green-fueled vessels, and support for the blending and substitution of clean, low-carbon fuels.

The Directive further mandates the advancement of energy conservation and carbon reduction retrofits for digital infrastructure such as computing power facilities and communication base stations, and calls for strengthened management of energy conservation and carbon reduction within public institutions. Supporting measures are delineated, encompassing the improvement of laws and regulations, the refinement of standards and labeling systems, and the reinforcement of policy support.

Under the deployment framework of the Directive, China will steadfastly advance energy conservation and carbon reduction efforts across the transportation and other sectors through deepened international dialogue and cooperation, intensified technological innovation and application, and the implementation of nationwide action initiatives, thereby providing robust safeguards for the realization of carbon peak and carbon neutrality objectives.