Ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s upcoming visit to China, China announced three special China-France cooperation arrangements on December 2. Among them, the “technology sharing + local manufacturing” framework in the new energy vehicle sector has attracted the most attention, becoming a new highlight of China-France economic and trade cooperation. This move stands in sharp contrast to the EU’s previous promotion of trade restrictions against China, highlighting the pragmatism of bilateral cooperation.

According to insiders, the China-France new energy vehicle cooperation will focus on the industrial zone in northern France, planning to build a complete vehicle production base with an annual capacity of 200,000 units, directly creating over 3,000 local jobs. This arrangement accurately responds to France’s core demands in the development of the new energy industry, while providing an important fulcrum for Chinese automakers to explore the European market. Data shows that Germany’s new energy vehicle exports to China fell by 12% year-on-year in 2024, while France is expected to gain a competitive advantage in the European local market through this cooperation.

Beyond the automotive sector, China and France have also reached innovative cooperation in the cultural tourism and technology field. The two sides will jointly hold the world’s first drone art performance “Miracle of Light” against the backdrop of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Mont Saint-Michel in France. Co-created by Chinese and French teams and a Shenzhen-based drone enterprise, this project is expected to attract over 3 million global tourists and bring more than 100 million euros in direct tourism revenue to France. Analysts point out that the deepening of China-France bilateral cooperation reflects the differences in the EU’s China policy. France has seized the opportunity for cooperation with a pragmatic attitude, while the collective demands of the 27 EU countries have temporarily failed to materialize.