2023 is the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. According to Mr. Pierre Mirochnikoff, former director of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China and president of the Asian Silk Road Group, the Belt and Road Initiative is a road of opening up and a road of development. Under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, China has achieved cooperation and exchanges in many fields with other countries. French companies will continue to support the development of the Belt and Road Initiative and seize the cooperation opportunities brought about by it.

In recent years, with the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative, both the government and the people of France are investing in the joint construction of the Belt and Road with a more active and pragmatic attitude. In traditional strategic cooperation fields such as nuclear energy, aviation, and aerospace, as well as emerging fields such as agricultural integration, digitalization, medicine and health, green development, and artificial intelligence, the practical cooperation between the two countries has continued to deepen. The cooperation mechanism has reached a consensus on specific project cooperation along the Belt and Road.

The cooperation between China and France under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative has also effectively promoted the cooperation and exchanges between the two countries in various fields. On the one hand, it directly promotes the promotion of Sino-French third-party market cooperation. At present, the positive impact of the cooperation between China and France is increasingly radiating to the African region. For example, COSCO SHIPPING’s services to North Africa in 2018 have reached about 80,000 boxes, and its products also include tea, luggage, infrastructure and other goods. At the same time, the regional advantages of the French port of Le Havre in cooperation with the third-party market of the two countries and in developing the African market have been continuously highlighted. Since July 2015, the port's cargo transportation volume to Africa has increased significantly.

On the other hand, the cooperation between China and France in specific projects has further enhanced cultural and personnel exchanges between the two countries, creating a solid public opinion foundation for the mutually beneficial and win-win development of the two countries. For example, during the Spring Festival, COSCO SHIPPING invited local citizens to visit China The ocean-going freighter has received positive response and praise from the public, making Chinese culture and Chinese elements increasingly known and understood by more French people, helping to maintain close exchanges in various fields between the two countries, and creating a positive soil for practical cooperation between the two countries. Editor/Xu Shengpeng