French entrepreneurs are ready to further expand their
businesses in China, having gained a better understanding of the
country through exchanges during The Chinese-French Culture Year,
said Henri Proglio, chairman of the Honorary Committee of the
French Culture Year.
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"Many French business people had never been to China, and the
culture year provided them a good opportunity to see what China is
really like," said Proglio in an interview with Xinhua.
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After their visits, some French entrepreneurs modified their
business development strategy to focus more on China, Proglio
said.
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The Chinese-French Culture Year has been hailed as pioneering work
in the history of China-Europe cultural exchange. In the Chinese
Culture Year, held in France from October 2003 to July 2004, more
than 400 programs were presented to the French people.
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The French Culture Year in China, which concluded last weekend,
showed Chinese audiences not only the romantic side of the French,
but also their innovative spirit.
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"China has risen as a strong industrial nation over the last few
years, due to its huge population, big market, talented personnel
and competitive laborers, and many factories in the West were moved
to China," Proglio said
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"Many people in the West hold the belief that China is engaging in
unfair competition because of its low labor cost," he said, adding
that such belief has resulted in protectionism in Western
countries.
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"Against this background, the Chinese-French Year served as a good
bridge of communication, enabling business people from the two
countries to conduct open dialogues and create a good environment
to resolve disputes," Proglio said.
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The honorary committee was founded to provide financial support to
the French Culture Year in China and promote economic cooperation,
with its chairman appointed by French President Jacques
Chirac.
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The committee consists of 28 large French enterprises such as
Veolia Envioronnement, Airbus, Alstom and Alcatel, and more than 20
enterprises in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.
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The committee donated 25 million euros to the culture year and
served as a good platform of dialogue for entrepreneurs of the two
countries, according to Proglio.
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He said that the committee will aid more Chinese students to study
in first-class universities in France, a move that he said will
deepen the relations between the two countries.
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As president of Veolia Environnement, Proglio also sees a great
business opportunity in environmental protection in China, saying
that the Chinese people are demanding a better environment as their
living standards improve.
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He said through his contacts with Chinese government officials, he
found that many local governments have put environmental protection
high on the agenda, with a focus on water and air quality
improvement, and sewage and waste treatment.
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"We have had successful cooperation with China in this field over
the last decade, and we are confident of future cooperation,"
Proglio said.
(Xinhua News Agency September 20, 2005)