French President Jacques Chirac yesterday appealed to the French business community to seize the immense opportunities on offer in China, as he played down fears jobs could be lost at home.
Speaking in the southwestern city of Chengdu, Chirac talked up French business success in China but said much more could be done to make France the "partner of reference" for Chinese industry.
"I am convinced that the development of China is an opportunity to create growth and jobs for us," Chirac told an audience in the capital of Sichuan province which included Chinese Vice President Zeng Quinghong (曾慶紅).
"And this opportunity, France must seize it with both hands. It is only by trying to conquer new markets, by knowing how to grasp the economic opportunities that come our way that we will be able to create new jobs in France and make inroads into reducing unemployment," he said.
Chirac arrived in China late Friday from an Asia-Europe summit in Vietnam. He was due to fly to Beijing later yesterday to hold talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao (
Chirac has brought a large business delegation on the trip which is heavily focused on trying to secure greater access for French firms to Chinese markets.
During his speech in Chengdu, Chirac in particular talked up the French nuclear power industry, aircraft manufacturer Airbus Industrie and French expertise in building high-speed trains.
A number of contracts were to be signed during the visit which may help to redress France's trade deficit with China, which currently stands at around US$6 billion.
France ranks as China's fourth-biggest trading partner in the European Union. Bilateral exchanges stand at US$13.4 billion yet French companies hold only 1.2 percent of the Asian giant's vast emerging market. Deals in the offing include a possible purchase of Airbus aircraft by China Southern and Air China including Airbus' future giant A380 superjumbos and for French engineering group Alstom to provide 180 locomotives and 200 automatic subway trains.
Today will see the launch of the "Year of France" in China with two lightshows and a concert by musician Jean-Michel Jarre in the historic Forbidden City.
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