China's leading automaker FAW Group is accelerating its global expansion by shifting from individual vehicle sales to bulk orders, establishing local production and operations, and developing overseas channels as it moves toward full-chain expansion abroad.
In early October, 1,600 vehicles of Hongqi, FAW's iconic brand, were loaded and shipped to Iraq. The order covers multiple models, including the Hongqi HS3 and HS5, both SUVs.
"This year, we seized on the rapid growth in local demand for SUVs and developed the Hongqi HS5 and HS3 as two flagship products, closely aligning Hongqi's strengths in quality, technology and safety with user needs. This greatly boosted the confidence of local partners, and the order for 1,600 vehicles has also laid a solid foundation for FAW to further deepen its presence in Iraq and the wider Middle East and Africa markets," said Xiao Xiao, general manager of China FAW Group Import and Export Co., Ltd.
In September, Hongqi entered the Italian market at the 2026 Turin Auto Show, further deepening its presence in Europe. Meanwhile, FAW Jiefang, the group's truck subsidiary, continued to expand overseas, with commercial vehicle exports maintaining years of growth.
FAW's going-global model has shifted from individual vehicle sales to full-chain expansion built around bulk orders, localized production and overseas channel systems. Leveraging coordinated strengths in products, technology, and services, FAW continues to develop markets in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America while steadily improving its localized operations.
Chinese automaker FAW accelerates global expansion with full-chain, localized operations
A grassroots official from Gari Village in Ya'an City of southwest China's Sichuan Province has led locals to conquer immense difficulties to build a road at an altitude of 4,000 meters, turning the once-isolated community into a thriving tourist destination, paving the way towards a prosperous life.
This is a story from a China Global Television Network (CGTN) documentary titled "4,000m Altitude: They Built a Road Straight to the Sky".
Due to its extreme altitude, Gari Village lacked a proper road more than a decade ago, forcing residents to hike in and out on foot.
Refusing to let his village remain cut off from the world, Asheng, the local Party chief, made it his mission to change their fate. Mobilizing the villagers, he led them in overcoming immense geographical and logistical hurdles to finally carve a road through the high-altitude terrain.
The road opened the gates to Dawagengzha, a stunning natural attraction whose name translates to "magic mountain" in the Tibetan language. As word of this natural wonder spread, tourists began to arrive. However, a new challenge quickly emerged: the village lacked hotels and other tourism infrastructure, meaning visitors couldn't stay overnight.
Recognizing the bottleneck, Asheng took the initiative once again, converting his own house into the village's first homestay.
Seeing the success of Asheng's venture, hesitant villagers quickly followed suit.
Today, Gari Village is home to 158 distinctive homestays, forming a thriving hospitality cluster known as "Cloud Dawagengzha". Campsites, inns, and wooden cabins now dot the mountain landscape.
In 2024, the village welcomed over one million tourist arrivals, generating a revenue of 120 million yuan (about 17.94 million U.S. dollars). The momentum has only continued to grow. During the autumn foliage season in 2025, the village recorded an average weekly tourism revenue exceeding 1.5 million yuan.
Looking ahead, Asheng said he will continue to explore ways to improve the lives of his fellow villagers.
The documentary is part of CGTN's "Breaking Through" series, which traces China's journey from the historic Long March to its modern-day achievements, highlighting the resilience, ingenuity, and determination of its people.
Building road at 4,000m, grassroots official leads locals to prosperity: documentary
