French business chiefs look forward to forum

Southern provincial capital Guangzhou offers perfect backdrop for establishing stronger business ties with China, say bosses

French business leaders say they are looking forward to attending the Fortune Global Forum in Guangzhou in December, saying the city's business-friendly environment makes it a perfect host.

They were speaking in Paris at a roadshow hosted by the Guangzhou government to promote the forum, which was attended by more than 100 business people and government representatives.

Guangzhou Deputy Mayor Cai Chaolin says: "As the host city, we hope to give the forum's guests a good experience and good value."

Cai says the "good experience" will come from Guangzhou's historic attractions, modern infrastructure and delicious food, while the "good value" will be in the form of new inspiration and business opportunities.

As China's southern gateway, Guangzhou has built economic and trade relations with more 200 countries and regions globally.

The city plans to establish hubs for shipping, aviation and tech innovation by 2020. More than half of the Fortune Global 500 companies have already made investments in Guangzhou.

Alain Loehr, director of global mobility services at Fidal, a French law firm, says: "Mr Cai shared with us a comprehensive picture of Guangzhou's history, culture, business environment, innovation, inclusiveness and lifestyle, which allowed me to understand so much about Guangzhou and I really look forward to going there."

He says: "Attending the Guangzhou forum is an important way for us to support our clients, who are French firms with investments in China and Chinese firms with investments in France. We also hope to find new clients at the forum."

Loehr adds that understanding more about Guangzhou would also be useful when suggesting to his clients which Chinese cities to expand into for their global operations.

The Fortune Global Forum will be held in Guangzhou from Dec 6 to 8 this year and it will be the fifth time it has been held in China.

Thierry Ehrenbogen, chairman of Bollore, a French logistics firm, says attending the forum will help him find more clients, especially companies importing and exporting products in and out of China.

He says: "Guangzhou's reputation as one of China's leading port cities makes it very important for our industry. We hope many Chinese and international brands represented at the forum will also become our clients for logistics distribution."

As a starting point for the Maritime Silk Road, Guangzhou has long been exporting goods and culture to the West.

John Needham, managing director of the Fortune Global Forum, says the choice of forum's theme is timely, and is coherent with President Xi Jinping's keynote speech at Davos where he vigorously defended globalization.

Many Chinese firms are also eagerly looking forward to the forum, believing it is an opportunity to learn from their international counterparts and find collaboration opportunities both at home and abroad.

Li Chuyuan, chairman of Guangzhou Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical Holdings Co Ltd, says: "It'll be a good opportunity for us to exchange views and discuss partnership opportunities with globally-leading firms."

The Guangzhou government also plans to host roadshows in Hong Kong, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington DC, Tokyo, Seoul, Frankfurt, London, Barcelona and Amsterdam.

ecily.liu@mail.chinadailyuk.com