桃園市政府秘書處

Yesterday (16th), French Office in Taipei Director Benoit Guidee led the CCIFT and representatives from 14 French companies to visit Taoyuan City Government and explore the possibilities of bilateral trade collaborations. Director Guidee mentioned that Taoyuan is a desired destination for French companies looking to invest and that this visit enables French companies to gain a better understanding of Taoyuan’s competitive edge, which is sure to generate practical benefits.

Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan said that every time he meets with Director Guidee, he feels as if he is meeting an old friend. Taoyuan and France have tight-knit interactions, many of which are contributed to Director Guidee’s efforts. France’s democracy, culture, technology, business models, and urban planning all serve as excellent examples for Taoyuan to learn from. Furthermore, “France is an ideal role model” for Taoyuan when it comes to smart city development, circular economy, and rail development.

The mayor mentioned that two years ago, sports brand Decathlon established a hypermarket in Taoyuan, and Carrefour also plans to expand its logistics center in Taoyuan. Taoyuan is a livable city that offers ideal employment opportunities while combining the functions of transportation, logistics, industry, and residence. The mayor looks forward to engaging in further exchanges to attract more French companies to invest in Taoyuan.

Director Guidee mentioned that he has visited Taoyuan City Government on numerous occasions; however, this is the first time that he has led so many French companies to visit one city. As Taoyuan serves as the gateway of the nation, Mayor Cheng led a delegation to visit France in 2016 and later signed an MOU with Grenoble-Alpes Métropole (hereafter referred to as “Grenoble”), after which the two sides have engaged in many exchanges, increasing Taoyuan’s presence in France. French businesses in Taiwan agree that Taoyuan has many investment opportunities to offer, and they are eager to explore possibilities of collaboration. Director Guidee said that he was pleased to have this opportunity to lead a delegation to visit Taoyuan and that he hopes that this visit will serve as a foundation for fostering further collaborations between France in Taoyuan.

Many French business representatives mentioned that Taoyuan has an ideal location and a quality investment environment and that they are interested in seeking to invest in Taoyuan. EDF Taiwan Market Director Martin Tzou stated that circular economy and the green industry are areas of interest for EDF and that he looks forward to working closely with Taoyuan.

Director-general of the Secretariat, Yen Tzu-chieh said that Taoyuan and Grenoble celebrated the first anniversary of becoming sister cities on March 29th, when a delegation from Grenoble visited Taoyuan and shared their experience in urban governance. The delegation also visited the Department of Youth Affairs, Department of Transportation, and Department of Economic Development, graining fruitful insights on the topic of municipal planning.

Representatives from Taoyuan included Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan, Director-general Yen Tzu-chieh of the Secretariet, Director-general Chen Wen-te of the Department of Rapid Transit Systems, Director-general Lu Li-te of the Department of Environmental Protection, Director-general Eason Kuo of the Department of Economic Development Eason Kuo, Director-General Chen Jia-jun of the Industrial Commercial Development & Investment Promotion Committee, Chairman Wang, Ming-te of Taoyuan International Airport Corporation, Chairman Liu Kun-yi of Taoyuan Metro Corporation, President Pu He-chang of Taoyuan Metro Corporation, Vice President Hsieh Huia-hui of Aerotropolis Co., Ltd., Chief Administrative Officer Li Bo-rong of ASVDA, Deputy Director Yang Rui-yun of the Green Energy Promotion Office, Division Chief Jian Wei-lun of the Industrial Development Division of the Department of Economic Development. Guests from the French delegation included French Office in Taipei Director Benoit Guidee, Head of Economic Department Alain Berder, Head of Political Affairs of the Press and Communication Section Anne Rulliat, Senior Commercial Counsellor of Business France Taiwan Hubert Kilian, Chairman of CCIFT Tudor Pascu and representatives from 14 French companies.