France wants more Chinese investment

French President Hollande shakes hands with Liu Chuanzhi, founder of Chinese PC maker Lenovo Group, who leads the visiting delegation of China Entrepreneur Club at the Elysee Palace. [Photo/Xinhua]

French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday said his country wanted to attract more investment from China.

Addressing a group of Chinese entrepreneurs at the Elysee Palace, Hollande said more Chinese investment will help improve the French job market and to help the country's enterprises grow in the global market.

"Europe needs China for its own growth and China needs Europe to develop its business and to gain access to the technology of tomorrow," he said.

Hollande mentioned several areas, including food, health and urban development, where China and France could further develop cooperation.

According to Invest in France Agency, China is the eighth largest foreign investor in France last year with 31 investment projects that created 645 jobs. However, Chinese investment in France represents only 4 percent of the total foreign investment in the country, far behind the United States (23 percent) and Germany (16 percent).

Commenting on the trade dispute over the solar panels between China and the European Union, Hollande said that both sides should avoid unilateral measures of protectionism or market closure that could hurt interests of both sides.

"France has always supported that these disputes should be resolved through negotiation instead of pointing fingers at each other," he said.

Hollande also vowed to develop Paris into a major yuan trading hub in the eurozone, noting that discussion between the French and Chinese central banks over a possible currency swap is progressing.