Why did ZTE choose France as the site for its European headquarters?
 

First of all, because France occupies a central position in Europe. Europe doesn’t have many big cities like Paris, with great infrastructure and connecting flights to every destination in the world. Paris is also a very international city where you can find highly qualified employees.

In addition, you must remember that most of the world’s top 500 companies have their regional headquarters in France. We are a global player in our industry and we have to stay in close touch with the other players. The fact that they all have their own regional headquarters in France and particularly in Paris, makes it easier for us to develop our business in the region.
 

How do you rate French research?
 

Innovation is a big part of our business. We work in a field where you have got to offer your customers a new application every day. All those applications have to satisfy customers’ needs, which means they have to be developed locally. So doing R&D in Europe – and more specifically in France – is a logical consequence of our operations.

People in France are very innovative. They love innovation. They like having new ideas. France is a country that sets the trends for the rest of the world. So it’s an ideal place to do R&D and it has contributed a lot to our business. We have launched a lot of new terminals from France.
 

What do you think of French workers?
 

They are usually highly qualified and very experienced. They are very easy to manage. And they are autonomous: once they understand their environment and the way the company works, they contribute value in quite an independent way.
 

What are France’s advantages as a market?

It is the second-biggest country in Europe in terms of population, which makes it the second-biggest market in the region for our business. And because of France’s history, French companies have a lot of subsidiaries in other countries, particularly in francophone Africa. That gives another dimension to the French market and makes France much more important than other European countries. Because of France’s relationships with other countries, being present on the French market is a way of accessing other markets, like Switzerland, Belgium and the North African countries.
 

Is France an attractive place to invest?
 

That’s not the right way of putting it. In Europe, you really don’t have much choice. Paris is a place you simply have to be. And there are other cities in France too. We chose Poitiers as the location for our skills centre. The University of Poitiers has established strong relationships with universities in China and now produces Chinese-speaking graduates who form a pool of potential employees. The local government there has done an incredible amount to help us settle in. Whenever we’ve had a problem, they have found the solution. The French authorities really do everything they can to make sure your investment is a success.