Beijing Review - 29.08.2019

16 BEIJING REVIEW AUGUST 29, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com

Beijing Review: How was the Consulate

General of France in Wuhan established?

Olivier Guyonvarch: We decided to set

up this consulate because there were

substantial French investments in the car

industry, especially by Citroën, which had

invested and built factories in Wuhan in

1992. Subsequently, many auto parts man-
      ufacturers settled around the city, making
      Wuhan a very important base for French
      investments. The second reason is that
      university cooperation between France and
      Wuhan has always been vibrant, especially
      with Wuhan University. And finally, back
      then, Wuhan was a booming economic
      powerhouse, growing on average at a
      faster pace than the whole of China, so the
      French Government found it relevant to es-

of human resources is plentiful and talent-

ed, and companies can recruit engineers,

technicians and workers locally.

You have returned to Wuhan after be-

ing away for many years. What changes

have impressed you most?

I found the city much cleaner, more pleas-

ant and easier to live in. Twenty years ago,

there were no subways, whereas today,

there are many lines. When I left Wuhan

20 years ago, there were only two bridges,

while today a dozen bridges span the river.

East Lake has been revamped and there

are greenways now. The only thing that has

not changed in Wuhan is the welcoming

nature of its residents.

How do you promote cooperation and

economic exchanges between China

and France in Wuhan?

Strengthening the ties between Wuhan and

Hubei and France is what we do on a daily

basis. As far as business is concerned, we

play an advisory role. We are not involved

in economic cooperation; companies

and investors do their part on their own.

However, in the cultural field, we do a lot

with the Festival Croisements for example;

and every year for two months, we organize

a slew of cultural events including musical

shows, painting and photo exhibitions and

street art performances, among others. We

have encouraged art exchanges between

the Yellow Crane Tower Art Troupe and the

Chamarande Festival in France’s Essonne.

We are also involved in academic coopera-

tion with Campus France—an organization

that promotes overseas studies—and

tablish its consulate general here in 1998.

What are the advantages and charac-

teristics of Wuhan compared to other

major Chinese cities?

Wuhan is the cradle of the Chinese

metallurgical industry. Zhang Zhidong

established China’s first steel industries in

Wuhan during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-

1911). Wuhan is also a communication hub,

with the Yangtze River, a comprehensive

railway network and an international airport

with destinations worldwide, including di-

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municipal governments have preferential

policies to accommodate foreign invest-

ments. In addition, Wuhan is home to the

world’s largest university campus. The pool

THE FRENCH

CONNECTION

ZHANG WEI

Olivier Guyonvarch, Consul General of France

in Wuhan

COVER STORY

To learn more about Wuhan’s opening up and opportunities as well as its relationship

with France, Beijing Review reporter Liu Ting interviewed Olivier Guyonvarch, Consul

General of France in Wuhan, on July 25. An edited excerpt follows: