French businesses keen to extend entente cordiale

The China International Import Expo, a symbol of the opening-up of the Chinese market, has attracted a large and devoted following among the French business community.

"The CIIE is a great opportunity for us to promote France and French companies," said a representative of Business France, the trade and investment office of the French embassy. "Over 1,000 new French companies grow their businesses in China every year and we are very confident that more French companies will form partnerships with Chinese companies."

Among the regular CIIE participants from France is cosmetics company L'Oreal Group. It has been the largest exhibitor from the daily chemicals industry in the annual trade show for six consecutive years and has served as the rotating chair of the CIIE Enterprise Alliance for four years in a row.

"Our 2023 CIIE theme, 'beauty for all, beauty for each' perfectly captures the diverse range of Beauty Tech solutions and open innovation achievements that we believe will shape the future of beauty," Fabrice Megarbane, then president of L'Oreal North Asia Zone and CEO of L'Oreal China, said during the sixth CIIE in 2023.

"The CIIE serves as an important backdrop to key milestones in our open innovation ecosystem and will continue to serve as a great platform for collaborating with new partners," he said.

The company has signed an agreement to attend the seventh CIIE, where it will renew its role as chair of the Special Committee of Daily Chemical Consumer Goods and celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-French diplomatic relations, according to a company statement.

Schneider Electric, a France-headquartered global specialist in energy management and automation, has attended all editions of the CIIE over the past six years.

The company centered its exhibition in the technology and equipment area around the theme of digital empowerment and full-process carbon reduction at the 2022 CIIE edition. It showcased a comprehensive display of its digital technology, green ecology and carbon reduction achievements, including initiatives such as green supply chain construction, a lighthouse factory in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, and digital practices like "factory of the future".

The company can efficiently and vividly showcase its innovative products, services and applications at the CIIE, giving more people a better understanding of Schneider Electric, said Yin Zheng, executive vice-president of Schneider Electric and president of Schneider Electric China.

The CIIE is a high-quality platform for communication and learning, Yin noted, adding that every year at the expo he spends time visiting the exhibitions of peers and companies from other industries and has learned a lot from them.

As the sole national industry alliance for the pig, cattle, sheep and horse sectors in France, the French Interprofessional Pork Council, also known as INAPORC, is dedicated to supporting the growth of such industries and global market expansion efforts. It is also a frequent participant of the CIIE.

Hu Dan, deputy representative of INAPORC in China, recalled: "During the inaugural CIIE, the then French minister of agriculture, Stephane Le Foll, visited our pavilion to support our promotional efforts."

French President Emmanuel Macron attended the second CIIE to endorse his nation's products. He sampled steaks at INAPORC's pavilion, attracting long lines of visitors, Hu added.

Thierry Meyer, president of INAPORC, stressed the significance of the Chinese market as it is the French pork industry's biggest partner.

As a French multinational, Lesaffre, a key global player in the field of fermentation and microorganisms for 170 years, has benefited from the CIIE, said Yu Zhiqiong, the company's chief marketing officer for China.

Jerome Vanachter, president of Lesaffre Greater China, said: "The CIIE is a platform integrating the four main functions of international procurement, investment promotion, people and cultural exchanges, opening-up and cooperation. It belongs not only to China but the whole world."

As the world's first national-level import-themed trade fair, the CIIE has been held every November since its inception in 2018.

Over the years, companies from 173 countries and regions have participated in the CIIE and achieved $424.23 billion in tentative transactions. More than 2,400 new products, technologies and services have debuted at the event.