Over 200 French enterprises will present state-of-the-art products, technologies and services to China during the Sino-French Business Forum which is starting today in Beijing.

The two-day forum has attracted some 200 French companies and 600 Chinese companies from various industries, which will provide numerous opportunities for them to meet the right trade partners.

The forum is divided into several sectors, including agribusiness, consumer goods, health-pharmaceutical chemistry, construction, industrial equipment, information and communication technologies, energy-environment, services, travel and leisure.

This is the third time that UBIFRANCE - the French agency for international business development - and the French Embassy in China have organized such a forum in the country. The first two were successfully held in Shanghai in 2005 and in Hong Kong last November.

The Sino-French Business Forum aims to help French enterprises find new cooperation partners by providing assistance in business development, strategic planning, financing and technologies.

A special "Experts' Village" during the forum will provide professional consulting services to all participants, which is another feature attracting greater numbers of visitors. Experts such as legal advisors and bankers will be available for practical advice on every facet of conducting business in France or China.

This year's forum is co-sponsored by the French Ministry of Economics, Finance and Employment and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

At present, there are 1,800 French-invested enterprises in China, with 50,000 employees in all and an annual output value of 20 billion euro ($29.41 billion).

A total of 5,200 meetings were held among the 289 French companies and 700 Chinese firms that participated in the 2005 forum in Shanghai.

(China Daily November 26, 2007)