Some French companies, like Airbus and EDF, took advantage of Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to negotiate and sign contracts.
By Valentin Dechambre for Le Point
© Xie Huanchi / Xin Hua
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NOTA new assembly line for Airbus, exhibition at the Forbidden City, offshore wind turbines: several agreements and contracts were signed or discussed during French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to China, which ends this Friday.
Starting with the aircraft manufacturer, which will be able to double its aircraft production capacity in China, thanks to a second assembly line at its Tianjin site, near Beijing. It is due to enter service in the second half of 2025. Airbus has already had one since 2008, which has produced more than 600 A320s. Airbus Helicopters has also signed a major contract for 50 units of its new H160 multi-mission helicopter with the Chinese lessor GDAT.
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The energy group EDF and the Chinese nuclear giant CGN have renewed their global partnership agreement, in force since 2007. It covers the design, construction and operation of nuclear power plants. This agreement notably enabled EDF to build the only EPR installation currently in service in the world – in Taishan, in southern China. EDF has also signed cooperation agreements with the electricity companies CHN Energy and SPIC for an offshore wind project and a stake in an existing land site.
It signs at CMA-CGM, Suez, L’Oréal…
The Marseilles shipowner CMA-CGM, world number three, has signed an agreement with Cosco, the Chinese number one, and the port of Shanghai for the supply of bio-methanol and e-methanol, while the management champion water and waste Suez has obtained a contract via a consortium for a seawater desalination project, the amount of which has not been specified. As for the world number one in cosmetics, L’Oréal, it has sealed a three-year partnership with the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba in terms of “sustainable consumption”.
READ ALSOEmmanuel Macron is counting on Xi Jinping to “bring Russia to its senses”On the food side, the French pork industry has obtained 15 new authorizations from the Chinese authorities for more exports to China. Pork is by far the most consumed meat in this country of 1.4 billion people and is a staple in many Chinese dishes.
Versailles and the Forbidden City
Finally, the Palace of Versailles and the Forbidden City have agreed on an exhibition in China next year. Initially scheduled for 2020, it will finally take place in the year of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between France and China. 150 objects from the collections of Versailles will thus be presented to the Chinese public to evoke the exchanges between the two countries in the 18th century.