2005 - Year of the Rooster

My cousin in Limoges, France, made some observations recently about China and the bad press it is getting for its economic policies of undercutting established industries in Europe and North America. All true I am sure. Nonetheless politicians from overseas come here to strengthen ties through an ever turning revolving door. In Beijing, Austria had its flag flying one day, the next day France its tricolor. This is the "Year of France in China" with no less than 3,000 events involved. Jean Michel Jarre and next week Patricia Kaas, play to Beijing audiences. The French Ambassador opens twelve events in eight days. Simultaneously, photo exhibits of Paris and expos on French architecture run at major venues. Two young ladies talk about France without my prompting, one wanting me to explain the culture (hey I could give that a try since I have drunk cassis) the other because she sells me a painting and then says in a few days for the first time she leaves China to exhibit her work, yes, in Paris in the spring! I think I saw Prime Minister Raffarin, since the day of his Forbidden City visit I was a block or two away and saw the cavalcade with his likeness ensconced in a limousine. France is advocating a lifting of an arms embargo on China, presumably set by the European Union because of Taiwan. Meanwhile France-China trade rose 31% in 2004 to reach $18 billion. Trains, planes and automobiles (or at least what Total puts in the tank) account for a lot of the French exports. France's expertise in design for structures, homes, stadiums etc and its recent organizational skill in hosting the World Cup are door openers to a China going to host the 2008 Olympics and the Shanghai World Expo in 2010.