French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to China will strengthen bilateral ties and help develop projects between French and Chinese companies, according to Adnan Ezzarhouni, general manager of GTT China, a part of French multinational naval engineering company GTT Group.
Macron arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to begin a three-day state visit at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. It is Macron's fourth state visit to China and a reciprocal visit following President Xi's historic trip to France last year.
Following their meeting on Thursday morning, President Xi and President Macron attended a signing ceremony for several bilateral cooperation agreements.
Ezzarhouni told China Global Television Network (CGTN) that his company will cooperate with a Chinese company to build a liquid ethane storage tank in east China's Zhejiang Province.
"First of all, GTT is a leader in the storage and transportation of cryogenic gases, including liquefied natural gas. On this occasion, we signed a cooperation agreement with Liwan Group for the installation of a liquid ethane storage tank at their ethylene petrochemical plant in Zhejiang. If the project comes to fruition, it will likely be the largest state-owned tank in the world. This versatile tank will be able to transport and store not only ethane, but also other gases such as ethylene and LPG. For Liwan Group, this will allow them to increase their storage capacity and better manage their production. And for GTT, it's an opportunity to develop even more innovative solutions and push the boundaries of current technologies," said Ezzarhouni.
GTT has also contributed to other projects in China, according to Ezzarhouni.
"And the successes of which we are particularly proud: for example, we designed the world's largest latest generation membrane tanks for Beijing Gas, which was signed during the President's visit in 2009. We also designed the world's largest LNG carrier, which will be built mainly in Shanghai, so it is a French design, an innovation that has been applied by a shipyard in Shanghai. We are very proud of it and the project is still under construction," he said.
"So I think that historically, between France and China, the pillars have been aeronautics, the aerospace sector, the energy sector, and the agricultural sector. What France has traditionally provided is primarily technologies, know-how, goods, and services that are truly linked to our expertise or our history. And so China has a strong capacity for industrialization, production, and implementation. And that's where I think we have a good understanding," said Ezzarhouni.
China, France to develop closer business ties: French business leader
China, France to develop closer business ties: French business leader
