Women work toward change

A1. In the first years of my career in the car industry, being a woman actually brought me some difficulties because in the early 1990s, almost all management positions in the industry were occupied by men and I spent a lot of time getting familiar with rules and norms in this male-dominated business environment. But now I am convinced that there may be some advantages in being a female executive in this field – we, as women, have greater attention to detail and a keener sense when it comes to consumption and market trends.

A2. There is no such a thing as an “absolute balance” between work and life. You have to choose which side is worth more input. I don’t think working hard will inevitably affect a woman’s family life as long as she can allocate enough love to her family members. I am positive that most families would understand and support a woman that pursues her career aspirations.

A3. I respect every member of my gender, no matter whether she is a full-time housewife or an office worker. Each of us has our own path.

A4. It is not an exaggeration to say that nowadays most women in China are treated equally. This is really a remarkable achievement for our country and can’t be easily achieved in many other nations.

"It is not an exaggeration to say that nowadays most women in China are treated equally. This is really a remarkable achievement for our country and can't be easily achieved in many other nations. I don't think working hard will inevitably affect a woman's family life. I respect every member of my gender, no matter whether she is a full-time housewife or an office worker. Each of us has our own path."

Wang Fengying, a national legislator and leading figure in the automotive industry, has suggested the central government encourage local authorities to scrap protectionist policies that hinder growth of the new energy vehicle sector.

Many local governments have set regulatory barriers to deny market access to NEV producers registered elsewhere, according to Wang, general manager of Great Wall Motor and a deputy to the National People's Congress.

"For instance, some regions have made a kind of entry list to deter automakers from other places that want to enter their market," she said. "They also ask automakers to set up manufacturing plants there, and those that refuse can face difficulties when their NEVs enter that market."

Such protectionist measures compromise the competitiveness of carmakers in local markets, reducing the incentives for companies to progress, which affects customers, Wang said.

Moreover, she added, some authorities have failed to correctly and adequately implement the central government's subsidy policies, resulting in confusion among enterprises.

In response to these problems, she has called on the central government to start by ordering local authorities to abolish policies or regulations at odds with those published by national-level departments.

She said the central government should also strengthen supervision of how local authorities implement policies and regulations on NEVs.

In addition, Wang suggested local departments be encouraged to cancel subsidies for customers who buy such vehicles and instead use the money to subsidize customers' payment of recharging costs and highway tolls.

People should also be given assistance to install charging equipment in their communities to facilitate greater use of NEVs, she added.

China has been the largest market for NEVs since 2015, when it overtook the United States, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Nearly 800,000 Chinese-made NEVs were sold to domestic and overseas buyers last year, up 50 percent year-on-year, while the country now has at least 1.6 million NEVs on its roads, the ministry's data show.

A total of 38,470 NEVs were sold in January, surging 431 percent compared with the same period last year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, which predicts more than 2 million Chinese-made NEVs will be sold worldwide in 2020.