The first batch of 800 minibuses from China's Soueast Motor Co. will go on board ship on Saturday to be exported to Iran, a company official said here Friday.

The Chinese company will ship a total of 8,000 minibuses via Xingang dock in Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province, by June, said Feng Xiuhua, assistant general manager of Fujian Auto Industrial Co., Ltd, the parent company of Soueast Motor.

Soueast Motor clinched its biggest ever export deal with Iran last December, winning the lion's share of the Iranian government's plan to replace 15,000 taxis in 2007.

The 8,000-vehicle export deal is a major breakthrough for Soueast Motor, which is trying to promote its products on the international market, said Ling Yuzhang, chairman of the company.

Soueast Motor exported 1,043 vehicles in 2006, up 70 percent from the previous year. The Iranian order means that the company will export more than 10,000 vehicles this year, making it one of the largest vehicle exporters in China, Feng said.

To boost the export of cars and parts, the Chinese government is planning to set higher requirements for the country's car exporters.

Soueast Motor was one of the 44 backbone car exporters that were approved by the Ministry of Commerce and the National Development and Reform Commission last August.

Source: Xinhua