(Yicai Global) March 30 -- Chinese engineering firm Guangdong Weihua Corp. has completed first operations from its 40,000-ton-per-year lithium salts in China's western Sichuan province.

The Meizhou-based firm hopes the inauguration of the first production line will help it to transition to focusing on the supply of materials for the new energy vehicle battery sector, Weihua said in a statement.

China is a key battleground for the development of NEVs globally. Some 605,500 plug-in passenger cars were sold in China in 2017 as the nation captured a 49-percent share of the global NEV market and grew 30 times faster than the worldwide average, according to data from industry researcher EV Volumes.

The company aims to put more production lines into operation this year, with their completion forming a new profit growth point.

The 40,000-ton project was constructed by Weihua unit Sichuan Zhiyuan Lithium Co. and will produce lithium salts products including battery grade lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide monohydrate and lithium chloride.

The company constructed a 300-ton lithium production line in the same region in June 2017 and aims to expand lithium productivity to 1,000 tons per year by adding new lines in the future.