Institutional partners

Pays de la Loire Region

The success of the co-operative Pays de la Loire Region – Shandong Province of China partnership

The Pays de la Loire Region has been stating its desire to open up to the world since 2004. During this era of globalization, China appeared to be the obvious partner for the region’s economic and academic actors alike. In 2006, a co-operation agreement was signed between the Pays de la Loire Region and the Shandong Province. At the same time, gateways linking the two regions were established, and an Office for Representation of the Pays de la Loire Region was opened in Qingdao. The principal objective of this office is to offer businesses support and guidance in their export projects.
The dynamic relationship established between the Region and Shandong Province is bearing fruit: the network of partnerships is extended each year, encouraging closer relationships between Nantes and Qingdao, Angers and the department of Maine-et-Loire with the city of Yantai, La Roche-sur-Yon with Zibo, and Saumur with Penglai. The Region’s China-oriented actions cover four main areas: support and guidance for businesses, development of the equine industry, secondary and higher education, and research, and culture and sport.

ECONOMY

The industries in which Pays de la Loire excels must be fully represented in international commercial exchanges. This is a vital issue in the competitiveness of our region, in terms of jobs for today and tomorrow. The Region offers guidance and support to businesses in their efforts to prospect foreign markets, by encouraging individual commercial initiatives and by supporting international level group delegations. (150 businesses, 18 group operations dedicated to businesses supported between 2006 and 2008, 68% increase in regional exports towards China achieved in three years).

HORSES

In the face of major sporting events, coupled with the emergence of a strong demand from the middle classes for riding, the Chinese are seeking to build their own equine industry by developing collaboration within three domains: training in equine industry careers, breeding, support in the organisation of major sporting events. The Pays de la Loire Region – whose savoir-faire in this field is acknowledged - is the ideal partner in the development of an equine industry in China. The National Equestrian School in Saumur trains riders from Shandong Province.

TEACHING AND RESEARCH

The Region encourages the creation of partnerships with targeted universities, and supports the setting up of exchange programmes: student and teacher-researcher exchanges, the establishment of dual-diploma courses and recruitment platforms, and the definition of shared research programmes: 28 conventions signed between Pays de la Loire and Chinese establishments. The ‘Alliance Française’ premises in Jinan and Qingdao were opened with the support of the Pays de la Loire Region.

CULTURE AND SPORT

Co-operation in the cultural domain is aimed at encouraging the creation of partnerships between cultural actors around such fruitful themes as classical music, contemporary music and contemporary art, in close collaboration with the cultural services of the French Embassy in China and the Alliance Française: the pre-Olympics tour of the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire (ONPL) – an undisputed success at the 2008 Festival Croisements, organised by the French Embassy in China. An Confucius Institute is to be soon established in Angers. In the field of sport and sport for the disabled, co-operation between the Pays de la Loire Region and the Shandong Province is being developed around two disciplines: water sports and table tennis.

Pays de la Loire French Region
1, rue de la Loire
44966 Nantes cedex 9
Tél. +33 (0) 2 28 20 61 08
www.paysdelaloire.fr