China eyes a 40 percent annual increase in its auto and auto parts exports over the 11th Five-year Plan period (2006-2010) and expects the exports to reach 70 billion US dollars. It also promises to support exports of China-made brands and independent R&D.

Luc Glorieux, director of the B.A.A.V. (Busworld Kortrijk), made projection at Busworld Asia in Shanghai last year that export would be the main method for Chinese bus makers to participate in the global competition.

That means what Chinese auto makers are doing has attracted worldwide attention. Chinese commercial vehicle makers pioneered tapping the overseas market. Some of them, such as Yutong and King Long, have built up experience in their overseas presence and they offer quality increasingly close to European or American products.

Since 2000, China's bus exports have kept rising year by year by up to nearly 64 percent annually on average. China sold buses to 58 countries and regions in 2003 and 71 in 2004 around the world. Now buyers are from more than 170 countries and regions.

While sedans under foreign brands dominate the China market, home made brands, especially home made buses, prevail the commercial vehicle market. Leaders like Yutong and King Long have pushed the whole sector forward. Foreign investment, especially Germany-based bus makers MAN, Setra and Neoplan, gives a further spur to the technological progress of domestic buses.