BEIJING, June 17 -- Chinese authorities on Friday launched this year's promotional campaign for new-energy vehicles (NEVs) in rural areas in three locations -- east China's Wuxi, south China's Qionghai, and central China's Jingmen.

The activity will last from June to December, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), one of five government departments that launched the activity.

A total of 69 NEV models will be featured, said the MIIT. It called on NEV manufacturers and distributors to finalize sales policies and improve customer service systems.

Operators of charging facilities should also offer discounts on charging services, while e-commerce platforms should sell the cars online, the ministry added.

China has released a guideline to help people living in rural areas to purchase and use NEVs, with a focus on boosting the construction of charging infrastructure.

The country's NEV sales expanded 60.2 percent year on year to 717,000 units in May, and its NEV output totaled 713,000 units last month, up 53 percent year on year.