China's electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure continued its rapid expansion in the first three quarters of this year, with the total number of facilities in the country surging 54.5 percent year on year to 18.06 million units by the end of September, according to official data released on Friday.

This growing network has effectively met the charging demand of some 40 million new energy vehicles across the country, Tan Hongjiang, an official of the National Energy Administration (NEA), told a press conference.

The combined rated power of public EV charging facilities was approximately 200 million kilowatts at the end of September, which was an increase of 59.2 percent from the start of the year, Tan said.

He noted that the sector has also achieved breakthroughs in new technologies and business models, including the rollout of high-power charging networks and smart charging systems.

Earlier this month, China unveiled a three-year action plan to improve the country's EV charging infrastructure, aiming to establish a nationwide network of 28 million charging facilities by the end of 2027.

The plan encourages greater private participation in the charging sector, aligning with the current market landscape in which eight of China's top 10 charging service providers are private enterprises. The NEA data shows that as of the end of last month, these eight private firms collectively represented a 70.7 percent share of the public charging market.