This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. From May 5 to 7, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to France at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.
In recent years, the relationship between China and France has reached a new heighs, and the two countries have made significant progress in cooperation in aviation, aerospace, nuclear energy, agrifood, green development and other fields.
As China's leading foreign trade player and economic powerhouse, Guangdong has been playing an important role in the economic and trade cooperation between China and France.
The latest statistics show that the economic cooperation between Guangdong and France has borne fruitful results so far this year. In the first quarter of 2024, Guangdong's imports and exports to France reached 24.86 billion yuan, up 11.1 percent year-on-year.
The export and import growth between Guangdong and France is mainly driven by mechanical and electrical products. During this period, the export volume of mechanical and electrical products registered 10.6 billion yuan, up 12.6 percent, accounting for 59.7 percent of the province's total.
High-end manufacturing products highlight the trade structure between Guangdong and France. Notably, the export of lithium-ion batteries, automatic data processing equipment and its parts went up 253.3 percent and 20.6 percent, respectively. The import of integrated circuits and electrical appliances increased by 29.2 percent and 23.1 percent.
Furthermore, Guangdong has been a top destination for French companies to make business in China. There are many French multinationals investing in the province, for instance, Sanofi, Danone, LDC, EDF, Société Générale and Decathlon. The two sides enjoy broad space for cooperation in the medical, agrifood, energy and banking fields.
Just like what President Xi said at the closing ceremony of the sixth meeting of the China-France Business Council on May 6, the economies of Guangdong and France are also “closely intertwined and highly symbiotic”.
Reporter | Fanny
Poster | Lu Lu
Editor | Olivia, Steven, Nan, Will, James
