Independence Day Presidential Award: Uzbekistan Bestows Highest Honor on BYD

On August 26, on the 35th anniversary of Uzbekistan's independence, President Mirziyoyev signed a presidential decree, awarding the national "Order of Friendship" to Cao Shuang, General Manager of BYD's Central Asia and Caucasus region. The timing of the award, selected on the Independence Day commemoration and signed personally by the President, sends a clear signal itself: Uzbekistan already regards BYD as a key partner at its national strategy level.

The medal received by Cao Shuang is one of the highest honors established by Uzbekistan to recognize international friendly cooperation and major investment contributions. Those who have previously received this honor were mostly diplomatic envoys or heads of multinational projects. A regional general manager of a Chinese company receiving such treatment is not common in Central Asia. Behind this is BYD's deep rooting in Uzbekistan for a full three years.

In 2022, BYD signed a joint venture agreement with UzAuto, Uzbekistan's largest automotive group. In September 2023, Mirziyoyev received Wang Chuanfu's delegation, finalizing the New Energy Vehicle production base in Jizzakh Province. In January 2024, the President led a delegation to visit BYD's Shenzhen headquarters, witnessing the official launch of the factory, where Wang Chuanfu handed over the 10,000th BYD new energy vehicle of the country on the spot. In June of the same year, the two again jointly witnessed the first mass-produced vehicle come off the line in Jizzakh Province. Three high-level meetings within one year are extremely rare in both diplomatic and business exchanges.

Numbers speak louder. The Jizzakh factory's production volume in its first year of operation in 2024 was 4,004 vehicles, leaping to over 20,200 vehicles in 2025. In the first seven months of 2026, production volume had already reached 17,765 vehicles, a year-over-year increase of 106.6%. The factory plans to reach 40,000 vehicles for the full year, with a target capacity of 200,000 vehicles by 2030. From 4,000 to 40,000 to 200,000, this growth curve reflects not only the expansion speed of a company, but also the restructuring process of Uzbekistan's entire automotive industry.

Uzbekistan is fully promoting electrification transformation. The government's 2026 national plan clearly stipulates: electric vehicle loan interest rates will be reduced from 23% to 16%, charging station numbers will expand from 1,400 to 4,000, and excess electricity fees are subsidized by the government. It is expected that by 2030, the domestic electric vehicle stock will increase from 100,000 at the end of 2025 to between 400,000 and 500,000. In the process of implementing these policies, BYD's role is far more than just a "supplier". The Jizzakh factory not only assembles complete vehicles, but is also promoting parts localization, building fast charging networks, and planning exports to Kazakhstan and Afghanistan. In the first half of 2025, BYD's market share in the country's electric vehicle market reached 87.4%. In other words, Uzbekistan's electrification transformation was almost completed with the backing of a single enterprise. This situation of "supporting a national industry with the strength of one enterprise" is quite rare in the history of the global automotive industry.

BYD's overseas layout is not limited to sales networks. Thailand, Brazil, Hungary, Uzbekistan, each overseas factory pursues deep localization, embedding production capacity, technology, and supply chains into the local economic fabric. Uzbekistan's medal can be seen as an official endorsement of this model. When a company truly integrates into a country's industrial lifeline, recognition beyond market returns — the kind bestowed personally by a head of state — will naturally arrive. This is not only a phased achievement of BYD, but also a new benchmark for Chinese manufacturing going global.