President Xi Jinping arrives in France Sunday. He is achieving a trip in Europe at a tense time due to Brexit uncertainties and to the trade negotiations with the U.S. It is his second visit, after the lavish reception given by François Hollande in 2014 at Versailles palace. His predecessor, President Hu Jintao came in 2004 and 2009. Each time reference is made to 1964, when France officially recognized of China. But that historical decision was harmed by the gaffe made by the French ambassador when he mentioned in that circumstance “France comes back into Asia”. Beijing didn ...

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China is still the object of critical analysis and pessimistic forecasts. The country is used as an excuse, if not an alibi, about the slowing of the world growth. But its last results are not confirming these negative judgments. If 2018 growth rate has been very slightly weaker than during 2017, it is still inside, with 6.6%, the objective determined by the government, i.e. between 6.5 and 7%. It is possible to say that it is the weakest number for a long period but that doesn’t make sense. The size of the Chinese economy is two ...

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It is Chinese, which is not surprising, and its capital city is Shenzhen, a town with 13 million inhabitants which was just a fishermen village at the end of Mao era. Kilometers of skyscrapers-lined avenues can be viewed whose architects have competed in imagination and boldness. Compared to that, La Defense district looks like a simple block, even if it is one of the most important business centers in Europe. It is there that everything has started. Deng Xiaoping had chosen it, near Hong Kong, to create one of its “special economic zones”. A particular legislation protected foreign investments and ...

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