The Sino-French Eco-park, located in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, has become a a model of deeper, greener, and more innovative collaboration between China and France.
The park was officially unveiled in 2017, and now stands as one of the city's most dynamic gateways for cooperation with France and Europe.
The park hosts more than 70 French-invested enterprises, evolving into a core platform for Sino-European engagement, especially in advanced manufacturing and low-carbon industries.
One of its anchor tenants, Shenlong Automobile, a joint venture between Dongfeng Motor and French automaker Citroën, has attracted 14 additional French component suppliers, creating a comprehensive supply chain.
"First, it represents a deep integration of technology. Cooperation with France brought us a century of car-making heritage and global quality standards, significantly enhancing our research and development capabilities and product quality. Second is the complementarity of markets. We have improved our business model from early technology imports focused on the domestic market to a model of 'made in Shenlong, sold globally', thanks to the improvement of our capacity," said Lyu Haitao, general manager of Shenlong Automobile Co., Ltd.
The Chengdu plant now serves as the sole production hub for several flagship models, exporting vehicles to Europe and breaking new ground in Southeast Asia.
"With the rapid development of China's electrification and intelligent networking technologies, our technical lead has given the Chinese side the ability to support the joint venture. Facing possible new changes in the electric vehicle (EV) industry, such as electrification and smart revolution, our cooperation is being elevated to a new level -- forming a new path that combines technical export with brand empowerment," Lyu said.
Beyond heavy industry, the eco-park is positioning itself as a model for energy conservation and green development, aiming to create a diverse industrial ecosystem where advanced manufacturing and modern services flourish together.
"The park is constantly optimizing its business environment. We have gathered clusters covering smart manufacturing, auto, intelligent connection, and green low-carbon sectors. We also plan to build a Sino-French innovation incubator. By integrating research and innovation enterprises with local universities on this platform, we can provide a shared space for office work, results transformation, and product display, achieving a 'win-win' cooperation in science and technology innovation," said Wang Yuting, deputy director of the park's development bureau.
China-France eco-park in Chengdu deepens bilateral cooperation
