REGIONAL> Development
French SMEs develop well in Dalian
By Zhu Chengpei and Zhang Xiaomin (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-21 14:34

DALIAN: With more and more French companies invested in the city, the local government has provided a good investment environment for the French companies, an official said on Thursday at a press conference in the port city of Northeast China's Liaoning province.

"The communication between Dalian and France has increased rapidly in recent years. We are glad to see some French companies like Dalian Choux Trading Co Ltd (DCT Wines) are developing well in our city," said Wang Hongjun, director of the city's foreign affairs office.

DCT Wines was recently awarded as the Best French Entrepreneur, an award that aims to praise China's French-invested small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China.

"The fact that a Dalian-based company won the prize proves that not only big cities like Shanghai or Beijing can be considered as poles of activities. Indeed Dalian has a role of foreground," said Frederic Choux, the owner of DCT Wines.

An importer and seller of fine French wines, DCT Wines grows rapidly in Dalian. It now has other three offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang. The company's sales volume doubles every year since it was established in 2004, according to Choux.

"I believe that a foreign company can work well in Dalian. We chose to locate the headquarters here not only because the beautiful city boasts a pleasant framework of life but also because it has a very important port," Choux said.

"More importantly, the local government provides dynamic support to the development of foreign companies," he added.

Choux regards China as a big potential market for wine consumption.

"Wine is a good channel to bring people together. However, most Chinese people only drink wine on special occasions. There is a long way to go before wine can become an important part of their life like that in France," he commented.

"But more people here in China are getting familiar with the wine culture. The potential market here will increase very quickly," Choux said.

ODC Marine, another Dalian-based French SME, also enjoyed rapid development in the port city, according to one of its directors Gildas Olivier.

“We have designed and manufactured 15 boats within two years since we started business here in 2006,” Olivier introduced.

Rene Consolo, Consulate General of France at Shenyang, the capital city of Liaoning province, said the city is very attractive to the French enterprises.

“About two thirds of the French-invested SMEs in the province are located in Dalian,” Consolo said.