Red carpet for entrepreneurs

French President Francois Hollande is set to roll out the red carpet at the Elysee Palace on Tuesday for a Chinese delegation - one that does not include a single head of state or minister.

But the royal treatment is no surprise if one considers the delegation's economic clout. It comprises 40 members of the China Entrepreneur Club, an influential private association whose member companies have combined revenues in excess of 2 trillion yuan ($326 billion), or about 4 percent of China's GDP.

The delegation will include some of the club's most prominent entrepreneurs, such as Liu Chuanzhi, founder of China's largest PC maker Lenovo Group; Cao Guowei, chairman and CEO of Sina.com; Yu Minhong, president of New Oriental Education & Technology Group; and Guo Guangchang, chairman of the Fosun Group.

The visiting CEC members will have lunch with Hollande, and the occasion is expected to offer a perfect chance for both sides to get to know one another on a more personal basis.

"We are hoping that the French leaders and business community will gain a real understanding of Chinese entrepreneurs, who are in fact full of character and have strong personalities," said Cai Tao, the CEC's communication director.

The delegation will also meet with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, Vice-President of the French Senate Jean-Pierre Raffarin and executives from French corporate giants including Schneider Electric, the Dassault Group and luxury fashion house Chanel.

This is not the first high-profile overseas reception for the Chinese business elite. Last year, the delegation was warmly welcomed by British Prime Minister David Cameron when they visited London.

The Chinese entrepreneurs are in Paris hoping to find business prospects, Liu Chuanzhi, the head of the delegation and the CEC's chairman, said at a press briefing in Beijing prior to their departure.

"We are looking for opportunities beyond the traditional nuclear and aviation industries and are hoping to find complementary cooperation with France in the areas of agriculture, food and consumer products," he said.

France also sees the visit as timely as the country is looking to attract more job-creating foreign investment while it struggles with zero growth and high unemployment.

The welcome at the Elysee Palace reflects the potential and opportunities France sees in China's private economy as well as the French desire to forge closer relationships with the country's business leaders.

During his visit to China in April, Hollande emphasized the necessity for France to work with Chinese private enterprises.

"A lot of French people do not understand very well the achievements of China's private sector as well as its contribution to the overall economy," French Ambassador to China Sylvie Bermann was quoted by French media as saying.

Contact the writer at lixiang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/24/2013 page10)