Link the Gap: Tackling the challenges of China-France trade

World
Europe

02:40

Shifting to our special series on 40 years of China's reform and opening up. Four decades ago, China adopted measures to open its economy to the outside world. Since then, France and China have become important trading partners. But doing business in the two countries can be challenging. Our correspondent Stefan de Vries explains.

Business between France and China is booming.

Last year, trade between the two countries increased nine percent.

Yet, the two have very distinct business cultures, which sometimes leads to misunderstandings.

Chunyan Li is a consultant and has trained and advised a large number of French and Chinese companies on doing business in each other's countries.

CHUNYAN LI CEO FEIDA CONSULTING, PARIS "The Chinese market is quite big, which gives the idea that there are many opportunities very easily. But actually, it is quite segmented. So consumer goods and mentalities can vary from one region to another, or from one city to the other."

But these are not the only challenges.

CHUNYAN LI CEO FEIDA CONSULTING, PARIS "In China, we have much more respect for the boss than in France. And we have more discussions in France than in China. So the way in communicating with people, building relationships with the clients or suppliers, they are quite different."

One of the many successful French businesses operating in China is SES-imagotag. The world leader in high-tech digital price tags.

THIERRY GADOU CEO SES-IMAGOTAG "We are active on the Chinese market now a year. There is the language barrier of course, and many other difficulties which make this market difficult. They are so reliable actually. When you have friends in China, they are friends forever."

Maybe the success has to do with something else.

THIERRY GADOU CEO SES-IMAGOTAG "Those two civilizations like each other because they have great food, and that's not the case of so many countries in the world. And China is one of them."

CHUNYAN LI CEO FEIDA CONSULTING, PARIS "Our passion for gastronomy is a very good, common point. In France and in China, we build our relationships around the table, that's a very positive point."

So in the end, France and China have more in common than most business people would think.

Stefan de Vries, for CGTN in Paris.