Baosteel has supplied cold-rolled steel to Great Wall since 2004, and steel blanks since 2007. This year, Great Wall introduced the Haval H6 and Voleex C30, two models built with Baosteel's high-strength steel.

The new agreement will allow Baosteel to consult with Great Wall earlier in the product development cycle.

In recent months, Great Wall has formed partnerships with a variety of international suppliers, including Valeo, Ricardo, Autoliv, Brose and Mahle.

Baosteel, of Shanghai, is the world's third-largest steelmaker.

Great Wall, a privately held company in Baoding in north China's Heibei province, is China's largest producer of SUVs. In the first six months of 2011, Great Wall's net profit jumped 80 percent, while vehicle sales soared nearly 40 percent to 238,395 units.