| 10.09.2004 The China Daily Chirac sees opportunity in China's economic surge (Agencies) Updated: 2004-10-09 16:02 French President Jacques Chirac sought on Saturday to ease the fears of some people over China's economic surge and pledged to make France a natural trade partner for one of the world's fastest growing economies. Chirac arrived in Beijing after a stop in Chengdu, capital of the southwestern province of Sichuan, on a five-day state visit in which trade and an arms embargo against China will be high on the agenda. "To those people in Europe and France who ask about the consequences of (China's economic) rise ... I say that the development of China is an opportunity for our growth and our jobs. And France must take this opportunity," he said in a speech after meeting Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong. "It is also by going in conquest of new markets and in knowing how to seize the opportunities offered to our economy that we will speed up the creation of jobs in France and push back unemployment for a long time." Zeng told Chirac that close political cooperation between the two countries would help ties in bilateral trade, culture, technology and education. Closer economic ties are clearly at the top of the French president's agenda. He is accompanied by a large delegation of businessmen, including the heads of the world's top nuclear power producer, Electricite de France, and nuclear reactor maker Areva. French heavy engineering firm Alstom announced on Saturday it would bid jointly with Chengdu-based Dongfang Electric Corp. to supply a turbine generator package for the second phase of the Ling'ao nuclear plant being built in the southern province of Guangdong. "Our industrialists and nuclear researchers are ready to enter into a genuine industrial and scientific partnership with China based on transfers of the most advanced technology and the creation of common enterprises," he said. To reinforce the partnership, Chirac declared 2004 the "Year of China", lighting up the Eiffel Tower in red when Chinese President Hu Jintao visited in January and staging lavish Chinese New Year celebrations on the Champs Elysees. Energy-thirsty China has 11 existing and planned reactors. Suppliers include France's Framatome and EDF. Facing severe power shortages, the Chinese government has drafted a preliminary plan to quadruple nuclear power capacity to more than 32,000 megawatts between 2005 and 2020, or about two plants a year. China has built eight reactors over the past two decades. Chirac said on Friday that the international arms embargo on China made no sense and indicated that the European Union could lift the ban next year despite objections by the United States. At an Asia-Europe Meeting summit in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, Chirac said Japan had no objection to lifting the embargo. Supporters of ending the arms embargo say that doing so could open up lucrative trade opportunities for European business with the world's fastest-growing major economy. On the trade front, Chirac said on Saturday he had faith in the success of the Airbus A380 airliner in the Chinese market and promoted the fast TGV train built by Alstom. "Since it was launched, the TGV has transported the equivalent of the Chinese population." Chirac also said China needed to promote fair competition and respect intellectual property rights. He was due to meet President Hu in Beijing on Saturday. He flies to Shanghai on Monday and Hong Kong the next day. |
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