Credit: TMTPost

BEIJING, December 18 (TMTPOST) – French Ambassador to China Laurent Bili said Thursday that France and China should join hands to seize opportunities and meet common challenges.

The message I would like to convey today is that innovation needs openness and transparency to be successful. In these difficult times, we must stay committed to an international cooperation framework based on a solid multilateral system, " said Bili at the 2020 T-EDGE Conference.

The top French diplomat noted that several laboratories around the world have announced promising results for phase 3 clinical trials of their covid-19 vaccine, and some countries have already started inoculating anti-covid vaccines to their population.

"In other words, thanks to research and innovation, we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. This is a perfect illustration of the double meaning encompassed by the Chinese term for “crisis” (weiji)… I now understand why I keep hearing that danger (wei) always comes with “opportunity” (ji),” said the ambassador.

We must also promote bilateral exchanges of people and ideas, as well as business ties while maintaining an open environment and balanced relationships. These are the basis to create innovation that benefits all partners, he said.

France's innovations that benefit China 

As both countries are strong advocates of the Paris agreement, French and Chinese companies are working together to decrease carbon emissions globally by providing innovative solutions for the industry, said the top French doplomat in China. 

"France is China’s historical partner in nuclear energy, a field where both countries now cooperate globally. Besides, Total recently announced a project for energy storage in Zhuhai while several Chinese greenfield investments for battery production have been announced in Europe. As global leaders in this field, French companies provide solutions to Chinese industries in various sectors to upgrade their plants, hence decreasing their carbon footprint," said Bili.

Cooperation in innovation can also help China adapt to economic and social issues, such as the aging of population. This phenomenon started in Europe a few decades ago, but now it is also in China, he said.

Thanks to their experience, French companies have gained expertise in this field, known as “silver economy”, and are now bringing this expertise to China, noted the ambassador.

For instance, the development of digital healthcare and remote solutions is key as it allows elderly people to be constantly monitored and to receive the care they need without necessarily being hospitalized, he added.

The conference, organized by TMTPost Group and the National New Media Industry Zone, takes place in Daxing, Beijing and lasts from December 18 through December 20. The topics of the conference include digital economy, globalization 2.0 and new infrastructure.