On the morning of May 15, Ms. Zhao Haiying, Director-General of the Changchun Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, met with Emmanuel Loriot, Consul General of France in Shenyang, along with the delegation from the Jilin Representative Office of the French Confederation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (CPME). The two sides held discussions on trade and investment, industrial collaboration, and university-enterprise cooperation.

Director-General Zhao Haiying extended a warm welcome to Mr. Emmanuel Loriot and the delegation, and provided a brief overview of Changchun's development. She expressed the hope that, on the basis of their existing exchanges, the two sides would continuously enhance cooperation in various fields, further broaden Changchun's opening-up, and deepen subnational economic and trade relations between China and France.

During the meeting, Director-General Zhao Haiying noted that international exchange and cooperation are key priorities for Changchun's development, and she also hoped that China and France would leverage their existing scientific and educational resources to steadily advance various cooperation projects. For a long time, Changchun's universities and research institutions had maintained strong collaborative relationships with their French counterparts. She expressed the wish that this meeting would serve as an opportunity to deepen joint academic programs, scientific R&D, and transformation of scientific and technological achievement between the higher education institutions and research entities on both sides, thereby contributing to innovation-driven development. Notably, the CPME established its only representative office in Changchun, China this year, opening a new channel and injecting significant vitality into Changchun's cooperation with France as well as its outreach to European markets. Director-General Zhao Haiying stressed the importance of deepening cooperation in competitive industries and expressed the hope that the Mr. Emmanuel Loriot would help facilitate stronger connections between the enterprises of French and Changchun, so as to encourage French middle and small-sized enterprises, especially those in areas such as well-known commercial and lifestyle brands, optical electronics, biomedicine, and the wellness industry, to visit Changchun. Such exchanges would help promote mutual learning and support the global expansion of enterprises in Changchun.

Consul General Emmanuel Loriot stated that Changchun was the best choice for the Representative Office of the CPME, and that bilateral cooperation has yielded notable results. He looks forward to further strengthening economic and trade ties, supporting enterprises in Changchun in going global and bringing more French enterprises into China.

In closing, Director-General Zhao Haiying again expressed her appreciation to Consul General Emmanuel Loriot and his delegation, and voiced her hope for even more fruitful outcomes from the two sides' practical cooperation.