(Bloomberg) -- Harley-Davidson Inc., an American icon that’s taken heat from the White House for expanding overseas and retrenching at home, is teaming with a Chinese company to gain greater traction in Asia.

The manufacturer signed an agreement with China’s Zhejiang Qianjiang Motorcyle Co. to develop two new motorbike models that will sell under the Harley brand, according to a statement filed with the Shenzhen stock exchange. The two aim to field the first bike in China by the end of next year and may sell the models in other markets including Thailand, Indonesia and India.

Harley has been forced to stray from its roots due to a shrinking U.S. motorcycle market, contributing to what’s been a bumpy ride for the Milwaukee-based manufacturer during Donald Trump’s presidency. Chief Executive Officer Matt Levatich went from being one of the first company leaders to be welcomed to the White House in early 2017 to contending with angry tweets about closing a U.S. factory and adding production overseas to avoid tariffs.

Levatich shut an assembly plant in Missouri last year as U.S. sales continued to slump. Harley meanwhile built a factory in Thailand as part of a plan to sidestep tariffs and boost sales abroad.

The maker of big bikes long colloquially referred to as Hogs is rolling out a series of smaller models in a bid to get half of revenue from outside the U.S. by 2027.

Harley shares rose as much as 1.1% to $35.37 as of 10:35 a.m. Wednesday in New York.

--With assistance from Emma Dong, Qi Ding and Gabrielle Coppola.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kyle Lahucik in Southfield at klahucik3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Craig Trudell at ctrudell1@bloomberg.net, Chester Dawson

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