China's Vehicle-Scraping System to See Major Adjustment

China will discard its decades-old forced scraping of old vehicles, especially cars, said an official with the central government's administration of machinery building industry.

The new policy stipulates that whether a used vehicle should be scraped depends on its actual running conditions, instead of its service life.

Previously, relevant Chinese authorities pursued a mandatory measure that any vehicle used for 10 years would have to be scraped, regardless of its actual conditions.

The indiscriminative and forced recycle of used cars, experts point out, have resulted in a waste of resources as many 10-year-old cars remain in excellent shape. Some car-owners even complain that their mileage is less than 10 kilometres when the 10-year time limit comes.

The new policy calls vehicle administration units to first check the vehicle, before deciding whether to scrap a vehicle.

If after the checkup, the administration believe that the vehicle meets two requirements, then the vehicle can continue its service. The two requirements are: it should be safe for the driver to drive such a vehicle and it should be able to meet the standards set by the government for the protection of environment.

However, considering the safety of passengers, the authorities noted that the new policy will not apply to taxis. Taxis will have to be scraped after their service life reached 10 years.

Experts believe that the new policy will be a stimulus for individuals who want to buy cars.



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