China's Great Wall Motor Company Limited will expand its overseas markets, especially in Russia, the Middle East and East Asia, its spokesman announced Thursday during the 7th Changchun International Auto Expo being held in northeast China's Jilin Province.

Increasing exports to Russia, the Middle East and East Asia helped Great Wall Motor maintain its fast growth, Fu Jianguang, the district manager, told Xinhua.

Ever fiercer domestic competition has propelled Chinese auto brands to set their eyes abroad, noted a report on the Chinese auto industry.

Further, the foreign appetite for autos, recovering from the global financial crisis, has also brought welcome news to the Chinese automakers, said Fu.

Great Wall Motor has been a key player in the industry's overseas expansion, exporting nearly 30,000 cars in the first half of 2010, said Fu.

Now, with four models having received EU approval, Great Wall Motor hopes to further broaden its overseas market by slowly moving into Europe.

The four models, the Hover, Florid, Wingle, and Coolbear, are being shown at the Changchun International Auto Expo, which opens on Thursday.

Over 130 automobile companies are displaying nearly 1,000 models at the Expo.