This year, 2024, marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France, a relationship that has always been at the forefront among China's ties with Western countries.
Recent years have seen a surge in business collaborations between Chinese and French companies, from advancing nuclear power innovations to supporting low-carbon and green development. These partnerships have revitalized bilateral relations, opened new paths for shared development, and provided new advantages to the people of both countries.
Advancing Sino-French Energy Cooperation through Nuclear Power Initiatives
The Sino-French energy collaboration began with nuclear power. In December 1978, China announced its decision to purchase two nuclear power stations from France. This led to the joint construction of the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant of China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN), the first large-scale commercial nuclear power station on the Chinese mainland and the start of long-term cooperation in the nuclear field between the two countries. The Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant was not only the largest Sino-foreign joint venture project during the early stages of China's economic reforms but also a symbol of those reforms.
Construction of the main project at the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station, which introduced French M310 technology, began on August 7, 1987, and was put into use in 1994. The Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant has been safely operating for over 30 years, delivering green energy and making contributions to the economic and social development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
The construction began at the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant with the pouring of the first concrete On August 7, 1987. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
Daya Bay Nuclear Power Base of China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
Entering the new century, China and France are collaborating again in the nuclear technology sector, co-constructing the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant in China’s Guangdong province. The project utilizes advanced European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) third-generation nuclear power technology, making it the first global implementation of an EPR unit.
The Taishan Nuclear Power Plant Base of China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) in China’s Guangdong province. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The first phase of the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant is the largest energy cooperation project between China and France in China. On September 7, 2019, the first phase project was fully completed, with its Unit 1 and Unit 2 becoming the first and second globally completed EPR units.
In early 2024, Sino-French nuclear cooperation achieved another milestone. On February 29, the world's largest "artificial sun," the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), signed a contract for the assembly of the vacuum chamber modules with a consortium led by China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). It marks another pivotal role for China in installing core equipment for ITER.
The main Tokamak device of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
Aviation Industry Achievements
In April 2023, in Tianjin, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) signed a framework agreement with the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, further expanding the final assembly capacity of the A320 series aircraft in China.
From the initial planning and groundbreaking at the end of September last year to the completion of the foundational construction of the assembly hall at the end of March this year, the agreement has yielded significant results in just one year.
Airbus launched its first civilian aircraft production line outside Europe in Tianjin, establishing a series of supply chain ecosystems in the area in September 2008. Leveraging its aviation manufacturing and innovation capabilities, AVIC has achieved the delivery of complete A320 wings to the assembly line. Since 2014, all wings assembled at the Airbus Tianjin A320 series aircraft assembly line have been sourced from the company.
AVIC's A320 series aircraft wing project [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
In 2019, AVIC signed an A320 fuselage system assembly project with Airbus, extending their industrial collaboration into the fuselage domain.
Aircraft engines, known as the heart of the airplane, are critical equipment supporting the construction of aviation emergency rescue systems. The WZ-16 engine, co-designed and produced by Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) and France's Safran Group, is the latest turboshaft engine developed and certified strictly according to airworthiness regulations.
In March 2021, the WZ-16 engine received its production license. Currently, the WZ-16 engines are being delivered in batches and can be equipped on 7-ton class twin-engine helicopters like the AC352, used in search and rescue, offshore oil operations, personnel transport, medical evacuation, and business charter flights.
Embracing the Future with Green Development
As part of its efforts to reach carbon neutrality, France is developing a "Battery Valley" in its northern industrial hub of Dunkirk, drawing participation from numerous multinational battery companies.
China State Construction Engineering Corporation's subsidiary in the Mediterranean, in collaboration with the BETOM Engineering Design Institute, is one of these participants. The team is providing engineering consultancy services for some of the Chinese battery investment projects in Battery Valley.
French and Chinese staff from BETOM Engineering Design Institute discuss design blueprints at their office in Paris in April 2024. The institute is among the top in its field in France and has joined CSCEC. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
Driving southwest from Toulouse, France's fourth-largest city, to the town of Martel-Tolosane, a preheater tower can be seen from afar. This is the site of an upgrade project for a local old cement production line, the MK3 project of LafargeHolcim Co., Ltd, undertaken by China National Building Material Group Co., Ltd.
The MK3 project is one of the most influential newly approved independent projects for alternative fuels in Western Europe. With an alternative fuel utilization rate of 85 percent and an annual carbon emission reduction of 200,000 tons, the project plays a significant role in protecting the local ecological environment and advancing green transformation.
The Sino-French Wuhan Ecological Demonstration City, located in Wuhan's Caidian district, Hubei province, is a sustainable development demonstration cooperation project promoted by the two nations' governments.
The demonstration city, constructed by CCCC Urban Investment (Wuhan) Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Co., Ltd (CCCC), has become an international model for promoting low-carbon development.
Mutual Benefit and Shared Opportunities
2024 marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France. In 1987, Shanghai and Marseille became sister cities. As Shanghai's largest hub airline, China Eastern Airlines will launch direct round-trip flights between Shanghai and Marseille on July 2, 2024, creating the first direct air connection between the two cities.
In 2007, China International Intellectech Group Co., Ltd (CIIC) was authorized by the French Embassy in China to open the French Visa Application Center. For 17 years, the company has been providing visa application services to Chinese citizens going to France, committed to facilitating personal exchanges and cooperative interactions.
In 2018, Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, visited the visa center. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
This year marks the 16th year of China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited's service to the Airbus project in France, a model project for Sino-French and Sino-European cooperation. The A320 series aircraft assembly line in Tianjin is the first aircraft assembly line that Airbus Group has invested in outside Europe. Since 2008, China COSCO Shipping Corporation has leveraged its advantages in shipping, ports and logistics to tailor solutions using container ships for transporting large aircraft components, supporting the production of the Airbus Asia assembly line and the integration of Airbus' global supply chain. On March 11, 2024, China COSCO Shipping completed the full-process logistics transportation service for the 700th A320 series aircraft component for the Airbus Asia assembly line.
France witnessed the trial operation of its first autonomous bus in Marne-la-Vallée, developed by CRRC Corporation Limited on September 18, 2023. CRRC has collaborated with several French companies to optimize the technology, which triggers a priority signal as the autonomous bus approaches intersections, reducing waiting and transit time.
On February 26, 2024, the "CRRC 777" tunnel boring machine developed by China Railway Engineering Equipment Group Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Railway Group Limited, helped complete construction of Paris Metro Line 16.
In Mianyang, Sichuan province, the Jiangyou Power Plant of the CHN Energy Investment Group’s Sichuan Branch, established in 1958, has undergone three phases of construction. The third phase, completed in 1991, included two 330-megawatt subcritical reheat units imported from France. This development made Jiangyou the largest thermal power plant in Southwest China at the time, with an annual electricity generation capacity of 3 billion kilowatt-hours.
Haikou International Duty-Free City, jointly designed by the China Academy of Building Research and the French VP Architectural Design Firm, stands as the world's largest single duty-free store and has become a landmark of Haikou, Hainan province.
In April 2023, a series of Sino-French corporate cooperation projects were signed, covering sectors including agricultural food, technology, aviation, civil nuclear energy, sustainable development, and culture. These agreements are practical steps to improve the well-being of the people in both countries.
Together with friends from all sectors in China and France, central SOEs will work to forge a new chapter in Sino-French corporate cooperation, further benefiting the people of both nations.
(Executive editor: Zhu Zeya)
