Taiwan-France trade can improve: outgoing official

French Institute in Taipei Director Jean-Claude Poimboeuf answers questions during an interview in Taipei yesterday. PHOTO: CNA

While economic and trade relations between Taiwan and France are already significant, French Institute in Taipei Director Jean-Claude Poimboeuf called for more investment and participation for French companies in Taiwan’s infrastructure projects to better reflect the strength of both economies.

In an interview at the end of his three-year tenure, Poimboeuf said bilateral trade reached about 4 billion to 4.5 billion euros (US$6.4 billion to US$7 billion) over the past few years and that Taiwan ranked as France’s sixth-largest trade partner in the Asia-Pacific region — surpassing Thailand and Malaysia and coming just after South Korea.

However, the top French official in Taiwan said there was still a lot of room for increasing bilateral trade.

“My frustration over the past three years has been that trade has been a bit stagnant because it’s still at the same level of between 4 billion and 4.5 billion euros,” Poimboeuf said. “Maybe this is linked to Taiwan’s economic situation, in which consumption is rather low.”

“We don’t see how Taiwan can avoid developing its nuclear industry if it wants to reach its carbon dioxide reduction targets.” — Jean-Claude Poimboeuf, head of the French Institute in Taipei

The outgoing chief of the French de facto embassy in Taiwan said he was also disappointed that Taiwan’s investment in France was lower than its investments in the UK and Germany, which he said did not correspond with the strengths of these economies.

“For the sixth and 22nd [largest] economies in the world, there should be a higher level of investment, especially if you consider that France, depending on the year, is the No. 2 or No. 3 destination of Foreign Direct Investment in the world,” Poimboeuf said.

“I think we can improve the situation in the future. Right now it’s really below the expected level,” he said.

Poimboeuf that apart from luxury products French companies would also like to participate in the government’s infrastructure projects, including nuclear energy, in which France is a pioneer.

“France is the country with the highest proportion of nuclear energy in the world, at around 80 percent,” Poimboeuf said. “We don’t see how Taiwan can avoid developing its nuclear industry if it wants to reach its carbon dioxide reduction targets.”

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said on June 12 that Taiwan would look to Europe’s leading experience in cutting greenhouse gas emissions to create a cleaner Taiwan, as his administration has set an ambitious goal of having greenhouse gas emissions equal to this year’s level by the year 2020, cutting them to the level of the year 2000 by 2025, and to half of the 2000 level by 2050.

“We of course are very keen to cooperate with Taiwan because we have very strong experience, including in waste management, which is a key issue for Taiwan,” Poimboeuf said.

He said the airline industry was another important sector for boosting bilateral trade, as Taiwan would need more aircraft to cater to Chinese tourists after the opening of direct weekend cross Taiwan-Strait charter flights.

Poimboeuf he was particularly encouraged to see a recent purchase by China Airlines Ltd (中華航空), Taiwan’s largest air carrier, of 20 A350XWB-900 aircraft worth more than US$4.3 billion from the French-based European consortium Airbus.

However, he expressed regret that EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) canceled direct flights from Taipei to Paris last November.

The French Institute in Taipei has seen a decreasing number of people going to France since the cancelation of the flights, Poimboeuf said.

He said he hoped the route could be resumed, as this would benefit bilateral economic relations.

“We have seen a drop since they stopped the flights because it’s not so convenient going from Taipei to Paris and it discourages people from traveling to Taiwan,” he said, adding that he had approached the relevant authorities with a view to getting the EVA flights resumed.

“We have had a few encouraging signs that we are heading in the right direction,” Poimboeuf said. “With the new situation here and across the Taiwan Strait, we can work out a solution.”