On the morning of Tuesday, July 2, at 6:20 a.m., the tarmac of Marseille Provence airport welcomed nearly 250 passengers straight from Shanghai. Sixty years after the establishment of diplomatic relations between France and China, 35 years after the signing of a twinning agreement between Marseille and Shanghai, 2024 marks a new stage in our territory’s relations with China.
The direct flight will take 12 hours, a time saving of 5 hours. With three flights per week, the line will strengthen the “tourist traffic but also freight“, specifies Philippe Bernand, Chairman of the Board. Marseille is therefore the second airport after Paris to benefit from such a line.
“This suggests a win-win future“, underlines Shaye Lu, Chinese ambassador to France, “We are living in a historic moment.“Same opinion for Renaud Muselier, president of the Region.”China is the second largest economy in the world. The trade balance with our region is still in deficit, but this makes us optimistic.“, confides the Marseillais, specifying that tourism also represents 13% of the GDP, or nearly 150,000 jobs and 25,000 businesses,”There is a boost effect on Asian tourism, that’s for sure.“
This new chapter in Franco-Chinese friendship is welcomed by Jean-Luc Chauvin, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.We were impatient. This bridge between our two cities opens the doors to two hubs. The one in Africa here, and the one in Asia in Shanghai. Our metropolis is becoming international.“, he pleads. Good news, when we know that the Chinese president, visiting France a few weeks ago, decided to extend the exemption from short-term residence permits until the end of 2025.
