On August 26, in celebration of the 35th anniversary of Uzbekistan’s independence, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a presidential decree awarding Cao Shuang, General Manager of BYD’s Central Asia and Caucasus region, the Republic of Uzbekistan’s national honor—the “Order of Friendship.” The award recognizes Cao Shuang’s outstanding contributions to deepening international cooperation, supporting major investment and infrastructure projects, and advancing the mutually beneficial partnership between BYD and Uzbekistan.
The “Order of Friendship” is a prestigious national honor established by Uzbekistan to recognize individuals who have made exceptional contributions to strengthening international friendship, promoting economic and trade investment, and fostering people-to-people exchanges. This award not only serves as high recognition of Cao Shuang’s professionalism and leadership but also reflects the Uzbek government’s strong endorsement of BYD’s role in forging a new model of China-Uzbekistan cooperation, its long-term commitment to local engagement, and its efforts to drive industrial upgrading and green transformation.
The partnership between BYD and Uzbekistan is built on sustained high-level exchanges. Wang Chuanfu, Chairman and President of BYD, has met with President Mirziyoyev on three separate occasions. In September 2023, President Mirziyoyev received a BYD delegation led by Wang Chuanfu, during which both parties reached a consensus on establishing a new energy vehicle (NEV) production base in the Jizzakh region. In January 2024, President Mirziyoyev led a delegation to visit BYD’s global headquarters, where both sides witnessed the official launch of production at BYD’s Uzbekistan plant. During this visit, Wang Chuanfu presented President Mirziyoyev with the keys to the 10,000th NEV produced by BYD in Uzbekistan—a Yangwang U8. In June 2024, President Mirziyoyev again joined Wang Chuanfu in Jizzakh to witness the rollout of the first mass-produced vehicle from the plant.
This honor underscores BYD Group’s long-term commitment to Uzbekistan and the wider region. In line with its global green transformation strategy, BYD is actively facilitating the upgrade and transformation of the local automotive industry through NEV technology, localized manufacturing, intelligent driving solutions, and charging infrastructure. Within this strategic framework, Cao Shuang and his local team have worked closely with government agencies, industrial partners, and dealers to drive the implementation of key projects. Beyond introducing cutting-edge NEV products, BYD has made sustained investments in localized production capacity, industrial cooperation and technology sharing, and charging networks—helping Uzbekistan build a modern NEV ecosystem and bringing BYD’s new energy technologies and solutions to a broader customer base.
The “Order of Friendship” is not merely an individual accolade; it is a testament to the successful collaboration between BYD, Uzbekistan, and various partners in advancing green mobility and industrial development. As Cao Shuang remarked, “This honor belongs not only to me personally but to the entire BYD team and our Uzbek partners who have walked alongside us throughout this journey. We are deeply honored and will take this as motivation to continue deepening our presence in the local market and contribute to greener and more sustainable mobility in the region.”
