BEIJING, April 5 — Zhang Xue, founder of the Chinese motorcycle brand Zhang Xue Motorcycles — which made history last month by winning a top international racing title — released a video late Saturday night (April 4) on his Weibo video account to clarify his controversial remarks that he had received “not a single cent” of support from the Chongqing municipal government.
In the video, Zhang explained that his earlier remark, made during a media interview, was both a statement of fact and a moment of personal pride. “At that time, I was thinking that I really hadn’t received any money from the government, so I wanted to tell the truth. I also wanted to show off a little — look, I can do such an awesome thing on my own,” he said, as quoted by local media.
Zhang emphasized that the government’s role lies in building a sound platform, which he described as “excellent enough,” adding that it is the responsibility of enterprises to strive for development on their own. When explaining why he chose Chongqing as the base for his business, he noted that the city boasts the richest supporting resources for motorcycles — especially high-performance heavy motorcycles — as well as abundant industry talent. “It is precisely because Chongqing has such fertile soil that we have been able to achieve what we have today in just two years,” Zhang said.
The controversy arose on March 30, when Zhang was interviewed at his factory in Chongqing. Asked whether he had received support from the local government, he replied bluntly, “No, not a single cent.” A clip of the remark went viral online, sparking ridicule among netizens who questioned “whether Chongqing feels embarrassed.”
The discussion further escalated as Zhang Xue Motorcycles is invested by Zhejiang Venture Capital Group (ZVCG), which has ties to Zhejiang provincial state-owned assets. This triggered widespread online debates comparing the business environments of Chongqing and Zhejiang.
The incident gained extra attention due to Zhang’s recent historic achievement. Last month, Zhang Xue Motorcycles won the World Superbike Championship (WSBK) Portugal round, becoming the first Chinese brand to claim a title in the large-displacement motorcycle category. The landmark breakthrough, along with Zhang’s legendary personal experience, has made him a focus of media attention.
Founded in April 2024, Zhang Xue Motorcycles rose rapidly in the industry. Its victory at the WSBK Portugal round, held from March 28 to 29, broke the 29-year monopoly of European, American and Japanese brands in the category, with its self-developed 820RR-RS racing bike winning both rounds by a landslide margin of 3.685 seconds. ZVCG completed a 90 million yuan Series A investment in the company in January 2026, with the company valued at 1.09 billion yuan at that time.
Industry insiders noted that Zhang’s clarification highlights the different forms of government support for enterprises. While he did not receive direct cash subsidies, Chongqing’s complete motorcycle industrial chain and talent pool provided crucial support for his company’s rapid development — a point Zhang himself emphasized by stating that such industrial support is “priceless” and cannot be replaced by cash. Chongqing is known as China’s “motorcycle capital,” with more than 400 parts and components enterprises and a complete industrial supporting system.
Zhang further revealed that the vast majority of his company’s engineers and mid-to-senior management personnel — approximately 80 to 90 percent — are from Chongqing, underscoring the region’s deep reservoir of industry expertise. “Without this human capital, we could not have achieved such rapid progress,” he added.
The episode has since sparked broader discussions about the evolving nature of government-industry relations in China’s advanced manufacturing sector, where indirect support through infrastructure, supply chains and talent ecosystems is increasingly seen as equally vital as direct financial subsidies.
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