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Contributing to a sustainable future
By Xiao Wang (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-14 17:25 Relief efforts When the earthquake struck Sichuan province on May 12, CCIFC established a relief fund the next day to help the relief effort. A number of French companies also moved quickly to assist families hit by the disaster, Bentzmann said. Thomson Multimedia offered several TV transmitters to the quake-stricken areas, while Suez gave out water treatment units, Decathlon provided all the tents in their shop in Chengdu, Michelin gave out tires, Eurocopter donated helicopter spare parts and put one of their pilots at the disposal of authorities, and Veolia installed two drinking water purification stations that supplied 15,000 people daily. Carrefour immediately donated 2 million yuan ($291,545) the day of the earthquake. The company continued to increase donations and aid that total 23 million yuan to date. An additional 6 million yuan will be given in the next few weeks for Sichuan orphans, Bentzmann said. French-invested companies have thus raised around 150 million yuan for the relief effort thus far. The CCIFC fund has collected almost 3 million yuan. "CCIFC would like to allocate these funds to long-term projects. Priority will be given to projects related to school reconstruction in the devastated areas," Bentzmann said. Olympic wishes "The French business community in China as a whole is well aware of the considerable significance of the Olympic Games to the Chinese people," Bentzmann said. The International Olympic Committee's decision to grant the hosting of the Olympic Games to Beijing in 2001 acknowledges that China has become a world power, fully integrated in globalization, Bentzmann said. "For China, and especially for Beijing, it will be an exceptional moment. The whole world will focus on the host city in a month," she said. Bentzmann said she is confident that China will do its best to ensure the Beijing Olympics is a success and spectacular on an unparalleled scale. "The vast majority of French companies are very much looking forward to sharing these moments of sheer joy," she said. "It is true also, as much as they believe that one can stand up to express one's own point of view, nothing should disturb the Olympic celebration that China is about to offer to the world," she noted. The French chamber president, who was born in Beijing, said she is particularly excited about the Games to be held in China's capital. "It is predicted that the Chinese athletes will reap a much greater number of medals compared to the previous Games," she said. "Nonetheless, I personally hope that a few will be left to athletes participating from other countries and hopefully to France." (For more biz stories, please visit Industries)
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