Paris forum stresses China-France cooperation in trade and education

French and Chinese delegates gathered in Paris for the 2025 Sino-French Forum on Trade, Investment and Innovation, with discussions ranging from increasing access to global supply chains to educational exchange between the countries.

The gathering took place amidst wider geopolitical tensions but speakers emphasized partnership over division in an unstable world. 

Lin Shunjie, Chairman of the China International Exhibition Group Center Cooperation (CIEC), said France and Europe are central to this mission, and signed partnership agreements related to the upcoming expo in China.

"This time we came to Paris as the first stop of global promotion of the next edition of the Supply Chain Expo, so you see how important France and the European market are to us," he said.

Lin said cooperation should not be reduced to individual business contracts, but in building a wider ecosystem with strong supply chains as the focus.

"We don't think it is important to have just one deal or two more deals between Chinese and the French companies in this world," he said. 

"With the context of the trade war or the tariff war, the most important thing is to enhance the cooperation along the supply chain to make people, to make companies connected to each other, they cannot leave each other – that is more important that one or two more deals.

"I would say the certainty is always in China. China will provide the French companies the certainty of the future."

Emmanuelle Peres, Director General of the Fondation Prospective et Innovation, highlighted her organization's long-standing engagement with China.

"It is very important for us to support all events that foster significant rapprochements and above all strengthen cooperation between France and China," she said.

"Our collective responsibility is to do everything possible to work together, to avoid war, to avoid isolation, and instead to build balanced relationships based on respect, trust and transparency."

French Senator Thierry Meignen presented an ambitious project to create a new school in Le Blanc-Mesnil, a working-class town north of Paris where he was once mayor.

Inspired by a visit to China, he said the goal is to bring excellence in education to more families. 

"When I went to China, I discovered that what I wanted to create already existed — and that it was ranked among the three best schools in the world by the OECD," he explained. "We want to set up a partnership so that this school can operate ours, to bring that same level of excellence here."

The senator said the school will also serve over 200 Chinese families who live in the town.