Perfectly prolific partners

China's special relationship with France being strengthened on sporting stage

Since establishing diplomatic ties 55 years ago, China and France have enjoyed intensive cooperation in numerous fields. In recent years, that special relationship has been strengthened by sport, with Chinese soccer ace Wang Shuang epitomizing the ever-growing connection.

Wang wowing Paris

After joining Paris Saint-Germain last August, reigning Asian player of the year Wang has proved a huge hit in the French capital.

The playmaker's silky skills and an eye for a killer pass have seen her earn comparisons with her male counterparts at PSG, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

"After playing so many years of soccer, I wanted to give myself a test at a higher platform, to see how far I'm lagging behind these European players, and if there is room for improvement," Wang said of her move.

Wang instantly showed she belongs at the highest level, firing home a spectacular long-range effort on her debut in a city derby against Paris FC.

Her goals and assists are helping PSG fight for both domestic and European honors-the club this week hosts Chelsea in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal, while PSG sits in second spot in the French league, just two points behind Lyon, spearheaded by Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg.

Off the pitch, Wang is also settling in well, with the 24-year-old a popular figure in the locker room and working hard to learn French and English to integrate even better.

Commercially, PSG is reaping the benefits of Wang's rise, with the midfielder often appearing in advertisements alongside Mbappe and other male stars.

French soccer is looking to boost its share of the Chinese market in other ways, too.

In February 2017, the French Professional Football League (LFP) and French Football Federation (FFF) opened a shared office in Beijing, with both organizations seeing their follower numbers soar on Chinese social media as a result.

"China is very unique. There is no country in the world where football is dealt with at such a high level of decision-making. Based on our studies: China never fails," said the office's director, Romuald Nguyen.

Meanwhile, it's estimated that over 500 Chinese players and coaches have furthered their soccer education under the guidance of French tutors over the past two years. France's youth training system is globally renowned, with the Chinese game keen to learn from the reigning men's world champion.

More coaching partnerships, an interpreters' program and an academy project will be announced in the coming months.

Olympic effort

France has hosted the Winter Olympics three times in its southeastern Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region, so has plenty of expertise to offer China as the world's most populous nation prepares to stage the 2022 Games.

"The Chinese ski industry is a new and promising market, and France can partner in many ways with China," said Fabien Felli, vice president in charge of sales and marketing for French cable-car manufacturer POMA.

POMA has been doing business in China for almost 35 years, with at least 30 percent of its products aimed at the Chinese market.

"It's very important that we didn't wait for the Olympic Games to cooperate with China," Felli said. "I believe that the Winter Olympics will boost the ski development and tourism activities for cable cars in China. After the Olympics, we will still be a partner of the Chinese industry."

Last November, a delegation from Hebei province visited the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region, with 12 agreements signed between enterprises from the two countries.

French companies also made the most of events such as Alpitec China and the Winter Sports Expo to increase their presence in the Chinese market.

Mountain Cluster is an organization that advises French companies on business opportunities in China.

Its director, Benoit Robert, has spoken of the importance of territorial partnerships between China and France.

"Territory is our best ambassador, as it's territory that hosts big ski resorts, and the benefits of ski resorts go to these territories. Therefore, we insist on territorial partnerships," he said.

Mountain infrastructure firm MND Group last year saw China become its main market.

MND has made Wanlong Ski Resort in Hebei province its training center for Asia, and two weeks ago sent a group of European experts to begin lessons on resort operations.

"There is always room for improvement, especially for such a ski market born only a few years ago and really booming," said MND's business development director, Martin Francou.

Earlier this year, Club Med partnered with the world-renowned French Ski School to open its first ski academy in China.

Traditional ties

Yuan Zumou has been promoting classic Chinese wrestling, aka shuai jiao, in France for over three decades.

The 79-year-old arrived in France in 1985 at the age of 45. He had been washing dishes in a friend's restaurant when he decided to give his old profession a try.

"As I was involved in sports before, I didn't want to keep doing simple odd jobs," Yuan said.

He introduced shuai jiao to the French Wushu Federation and soon he was hosting his own international tournament-the Paris Mayor Cup, which has been staged 13 times since 1992.

"Shuai jiao is like a gold mine, but many obstacles are to be expected on the way," Yuan said.

While the French got to know Chinese wrestling through Yuan, savate, aka French kickboxing, was introduced to China by Liu Xiaohong in 2010.

"It was not easy to promote savate in China at first," recalled Liu, president of the Chinese Savate Federation. "We decided to promote it in China's universities and colleges, and form our team for international competitions. Over the subsequent nine years, it has blossomed."

Liu has taken savate to 12 Chinese cities and plans to keep on growing the combat sport.

"We aim to spread savate training to 1,800 fitness gyms nationwide this year," Liu said.

China is a traditional powerhouse in table tennis and in 2013 decided to help France out of a rut as part of efforts to improve the sport's global profile.

The Chinese Table Tennis Association dispatched Han Hua, who has mentored many world champions, to become France's head coach.

"The French team has a glorious history, but experienced low ebbs for more than a decade since Jean-Philippe Gatien's retirement. There were not many talented youngsters standing out," said Han at the time.

Han had an instant impact. In 2015, France won the men's team silver medal at the inaugural European Games, and in 2016, Emmanuel Lebesson won France's first men's singles title in 40 years at the European championships.

As a result, Han was renewed for another Olympic cycle.

Given that China and France are the respective hosts of the 2022 Winter and 2024 Summer Olympics, further strengthening of sports ties between the two nations can be expected to continue apace over the coming years.

Xinhua