China will accelerate construction of electric vehicle charging facilities in residential areas to boost production and sales of green cars, the country's top economic planner said.

More electric vehicle charging stations will be built in pilot cities in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei Province, Shandong Province, and major cities in the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta, according to a document jointly released by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and three other central departments.

Electric power companies are asked to help construction of charging stations, said the document.

NDRC data showed that there were about 81,000 public charging stations in China as of the end of June, up 65 percent compared with the end of last year.

Electric cars are gaining popularity in China due to strong government support and incentives.

According to the China Energy Administration, China plans to build a nationwide charging-station network that will fulfil the power demands of five million electric vehicles by 2020.

(Xinhua News Agency September 12, 2016)