By Timothy S. Donahue
Top Takeaways:
- The Chinese cigar maker is pursuing new cooperation with Cuba, Morocco, and Indonesia to boost breeding, processing, and distribution.
- Indonesia has already placed a commercial order, signaling near-term export growth.
- The strategy aims to turn China’s dominant high-end domestic cigar brand into a serious global competitor.
A delegation from China Tobacco Sichuan’s Great Wall Cigar Factory recently visited embassies of Cuba, Morocco, and Indonesia in Beijing, discussing potential industrial cooperation and a significant expansion of export and processing relationships.
At the Cuban embassy, the Chinese delegation and Minister-Counsellor Igor Montero Brito talked about working together on tobacco breeding, processing technology, and cultural exchange — emphasizing cigars as a shared heritage between the two nations. “Cigars are to Cuba what silk and porcelain are to China,” Brito said, highlighting the symbolic and cultural importance of the product.
In Morocco, talks with Ambassador Abdelkader El Ansari focused on utilizing Morocco’s strategic geographic location to establish a regional hub for cigar processing and distribution — potentially offering access to European, African, and Middle Eastern markets. The Moroccan embassy emphasized the synergy of combining Chinese production capacity with Morocco’s trade network.
The delegation also visited the Indonesian embassy, where ambassador Djauhari Oratmangun confirmed that Great Wall recently received a commercial order from Indonesia — a tangible sign of growing demand in Southeast Asia.
According to company data, Great Wall currently holds about 50% of China’s handmade cigar market and nearly 70% of the luxury handmade segment. The brand exports to 28 countries and has gained strong recognition in international blind taste tests.
This diplomatic outreach and market development effort follow a broader strategic push to globalize Chinese cigars. Earlier in 2025, Great Wall — via China Tobacco International (HK) Co., Ltd. (CTIHK) — signed an exclusive global distribution agreement (excluding mainland China), aiming to deliver “the taste of the world, the Great Wall of China” to cigar enthusiasts worldwide.
Yu Zhijun, head of Great Wall Cigar Factory, highlighted the company’s long history since 1918 and its use of traditional Chinese-style fermentation techniques. He described the embassy visits as part of a renewed effort to build international partnerships based on quality, heritage, and strategic export growth.
For global cigar industry and trade observers, the Great Wall delegation’s embassy tour marks an ambitious and well-planned effort to reposition Chinese cigars — long overshadowed by well-known Caribbean and Latin American brands — as a credible, export-ready option with a unique heritage and scale.
By exploring tobacco-breeding collaboration with Cuba, distribution hubs in Morocco, and commercial orders from Indonesia, Great Wall is establishing a foundation for wider market expansion across various regions.
