Used car exports expected to buoy China's automobile industry

China has officially started a program to export used vehicles, which analysts said will help meet growing demand for mobility and transport in emerging markets and speed up the country's efforts to improve its secondhand vehicle trade system.

The landmark program will first begin in nine cities - including Beijing; Jining and Qingdao in Shandong province - as well as Guangdong province as a whole, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Monday.

It said local authorities should select qualified exporters and appoint third-party agencies to test vehicles bound for overseas markets to ensure their safety and quality as well as offer good after-sales services.