Asia
Armenia
The Republic of Armenia is a country covering 29,743 sq.kms, located in the Caucasus, between Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to the east. Armenia has more than 2.9 million people, with a GDP of US$11.5 billion in 2017.
The service sector contributes 52% of the country’s wealth production, with industry’s share coming to 29% and agriculture accounting for less than 20%. The Armenian economy is highly dependent on trade with Russia.
Trade between France and Armenia is relatively weak. French companies are present in Armenia in the agri-food, environment and banking sectors. In addition to economic relations, Franco-Armenian exchanges are developing because of the presence of a sizeable community of Armenian origin in France (source : France diplomatie, May 2018).
In order to meet the needs of its customers on the Armenian market, Simon Associés has developed privileged relations with economic and legal partners locally.
Azerbaijan
The Republic of Azerbaijan is located in the Caucasus, bordered by Armenia and Turkey to the west, Georgia to the northwest, Russia to the north and the Caspian Sea to the east. With a surface area of 86.6 thousand sq.kms, Azerbaijan has close to 9.8 million inhabitants, for a GDP of US$39.2 billion.
Nearly half of the national economy is occupied by the industrial sector, followed by services, with the primary sector accounting for less than 10% of the national wealth produced. Russia is Azerbaijan’s main supplier and Italy is its main customer.
Azerbaijan is the Caucasian country with which France is developing the most important economic relations. French players are particularly present in the oil, banking, telecommunications, transport and tourism sectors (source : France diplomatie, May 2018).
In order to meet the needs of its customers on the Azerbaijani market, Simon Associés has developed privileged relations with economic and legal partners locally.
Bangladesh
The Bangladesh Republic is a country on the Indian subcontinent, located in the northern part of the Bay of Bengal. It has a population close to 164.7 million inhabitants for an area of 147,570 km² (source: World Bank, 2018).
The Bangladeshi economy is based on massive human resources (8th most densely populated country), and natural resources (fertile agricultural soils and an abundant water supply). In 2017, agriculture represented 13.41% of GDP, employing 37.64% of the total working population. Rice (4th largest producer in the world), tea, jute, corn, sugar cane, tobacco, spices and fruits are the country’s main cultures. The manufacture of paper, leather, fertilizers, metals and pharmaceutical products represents a significant part of the Bangladeshi industry sector, although the majority of the manufacturing sector is based on textile, generating 27.75% of GDP and employing one in five Bangladeshi workers (source: World Bank, 2018).
Trade between France and Bangladesh, despite being largely in deficit for France (€2.2 billion), amounted to €2.4 billion in 2017. The vast modernization programme in Bangladesh offers significant opportunities for the country’s energy, transport, water/sanitation and communications markets (source: France Diplomatie, 2019).
In order to meet the needs of its customers on the Bangladeshi market, Simon Associés has developed privileged relations with economic and legal partners locally.
Cambodia
The Kingdom of Cambodia is located in the southern part of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia. Covering a surface area of 181,035 sq.kms, it is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, Vietnam to the east and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest. Cambodia has more than 16.2 million inhabitants, and a GDP close to US$24.14 billion (source: UN – FMI – World Economic, May 2019).
The Cambodian economy has witnessed catch-up growth over the past two decades, mainly fueled by the service sector and the secondary (construction) sector, while the share of agriculture in the national economy is decreasing. As a member of ASEAN, Cambodia’s main trading partners are the United States, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom.
France remains the country’s leading European trading partner, and major French groups and SMEs have a presence there. French exports are dominated by the pharmaceutical and agri-food sectors, while imports are dominated by textiles.
In order to meet the needs of its customers on the Cambodian market, Simon Associés has developed privileged relations with economic and legal partners locally.
China
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is located in central Asia, facing the Pacific Ocean to the East and bordered by 14 countries: Vietnam, Laos, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia and North Korea. With a surface area of more than 9.5 million sqkm, China has the world’s biggest population, with nearly 1.4 billion inhabitants (source: World Bank, 2017).
Since 2014, the PRC has also been the leading global power in terms of GDP-PPP (purchasing power parity), with a GDP of more than US$11.2 billion. China enjoys a strong international trade surplus, which remains dominated by industrial exports (source: France Diplomatie).
The European Union is China’s largest trading partner, while the PRC is the 2nd biggest trading partner of the EU, after the United States. China is the 6th biggest business partner of France, its 2nd biggest supplier, and its 8th biggest customer. More than 1,100 French companies are established in China, in various sectors of activity, employing nearly 570,000 individuals (source: Tresor, avril 2019).
In order to meet the needs of its clients on the Chinese market, Simon Associés has developed a China Desk between Paris, Beijing and Nanjing, aggregating privileged relations with economic and legal partners locally.
India
The Republic of India is located in South Asia and bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west, south and east. It shares a border with Pakistan to the northwest, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north and northeast, and Bangladesh and Burma to the east. India covers a surface area of 3,287,263 sq.kms. With nearly 1.324 billion inhabitants, it is the second most populous country in the world and generates a GDP of nearly US$2.6 billion (source: World Bank, 2016).
Enjoying strong growth, the Indian economy is driven by a rapid development of its tertiary sector, with more than half of the GDP coming from services. Industry is the 2nd biggest sector, while agriculture contributes just under 1/5th of the national wealth. The consolidation of the Indian economy’s fundamentals makes it a country with very high potential.
France and India launched a strategic partnership in 1998, which strongly favoured the strengthening of bilateral exchanges. French exports are driven by transport equipment, electronics, pharmaceuticals and agri-food. Indian exports to France almost exclusively concern industrial products, including refined products. The French are among the leading foreign investors in India. More than 1,000 French companies from all sectors are present in India, employing 300,000 people.
In order to meet the needs of its customers on the Indian market, Simon Associés has developed privileged relations with economic and legal partners locally.
Indonesia
The Republic of Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world, with 13,466 islands mainly in Southeast Asia, bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. Indonesia has common land and sea borders with Malaysia (Borneo and Sebatik), maritime borders with Papua New Guinea, East Timor, Singapore, Thailand, Palau, the Philippines and Australia. With a surface area of more than 1.9 million sq.kms, Indonesia has a population of more than 261 million, unevenly distributed throughout the country, with a GDP exceeding US$932 billion (source: World Bank, 2016).
The Indonesian economy accounts for nearly 40% of the GDP of ASEAN, an organization that the country considers to be a major pillar of its foreign policy. Hard hit by the Asian crisis of 1997, the country’s economic situation has bounced back in the past 20 years, largely driven by the export of raw materials. China is Indonesia’s largest economic partner, followed by Japan and the United States.
French exports to Indonesia are overwhelmingly in the transport equipment and agri-food sectors. More than 170 French companies are present on the Indonesian territory, employing nearly 40,000 people. Indonesia mainly exports manufactured goods (textiles) to France, followed by small household appliances and agri-food.
In order to meet the needs of its customers on the Indonesian market, Simon Associés has developed privileged relations with economic and legal partners locally.
Kazakhstan
The Republic of Kazakhstan is a landlocked country located mainly in Northern Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. With an area of 2,724,922 sqkm, the country shares borders with Russia to the North and West, China to the East, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to the South. The country has a population of nearly 18,440,161 inhabitants, with a GDP of $170.539 billion in 2018 (source: IMF, France Diplomatie, 2019).
The Kazakh economy is mainly based on hydrocarbon extraction.
Kazakhstan is France’s leading trading partner in Central Asia, while France represents Kazakhstan’s 9th supplier after Russia, China, Germany, the United States and Italy. Energy and industry are the two pillars of economic relations between France and Kazakhstan. However, France has been able to diversify its presence in the country with the establishment of major industrial groups and the creation of Franco-Kazakh partnerships in many sectors (rail, aeronautics, space, automotive, agri-food, construction materials, renewable energies, industrial gases). There is also significant cooperation in the space sector (source: France Diplomatie, World Bank).
In order to meet the needs of its customers on the Kazakh market, Simon Associés has developed privileged relations with economic and legal partners locally.
Singapore
The Republic of Singapore is a sovereign city-state and an island country in Southeast Asia, with a surface area of 717 sq.kms, consisting of one main island and 62 islets. Singapore has a population of about 5.6 million and a GDP of US$297 billion (source: France Diplomatie, July 2019).
Singapore is a global centre for commerce, finance and transportation. It has the largest port in Southeast Asia. In fact, it is one of the busiest in the world, and allows Singapore to rank 20th among the world’s export economies. Its principal exports are machinery, integrated circuits, computers and refined petroleum products. Its main trading partners are China, the United States, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan.
Singapore is the 3rd biggest partner for France in Asia and number one for the Southeast Asia region. This city-state is an important regional platform for French companies, more than 400 of which are present on its territory, mainly in electronics, chemicals and financial services.
Singapore is also known for being the city with the “best investment potential” (BERI) : it is the 2nd biggest destination for French investments in Asia, after Japan, with more than 40 French companies created in the country.
In order to meet the needs of its customers on the Singaporean market, Simon Associés has developed privileged relations with economic and legal partners locally.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea, bordered by the Yellow Sea to the west, the Sea of Japan to the east and the Korean Strait to the south, has a single land border with North Korea. With a surface area of 100,210 sq.kms, South Korea has a population of more than 51 million and a GDP of US$1.655 billion (source: FMI – World Economic Outlook Database, 2018).
As one of the four “Asian Tigers”, South Korea has experienced exceptional economic growth since the 1960s and is now hard on the heels of the “top 10” world economic powers and at the forefront of consumer electronics, automotive manufacturing and the iron and steel industry.
The Republic of Korea is the 4th biggest French customer on the Asian continent, and French investments in the country now take 4th place among European investments. Nearly 200 subsidiaries of major French groups are present on the territory of South Korea, in high-tech sectors, but also in the fields of tourism and luxury goods. Bilateral cooperation in innovation and South Korea’s accelerated development of digital technologies also favoured the emergence of innovative start-ups on these two markets.
In order to meet the needs of its customers in the South Korean market, Simon Associés has developed privileged relations with economic and legal partners locally.
Thailand
The Kingdom of Thailand covers a total surface area of 513,120 sq.kms. It is bordered by Burma to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, Cambodia to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the south. Thailand has the 2nd biggest economy in Southeast Asia, with a GDP of US$404 billion and a total population of more than 69.04 million (source: World Bank, 2017).
The Kingdom of Thailand has a market economy characterized by a strong industrial sector and a fast-growing service sector, focused on tourism and financial services. Thailand is one of the founding members of ASEAN.
This country is France’s 4th biggest economic partner within ASEAN. France is the 3rd biggest European investor in Thailand, with an investment rate that has doubled in the space of ten years.
About 250 companies and between 500 and 1,000 independent French entrepreneurs are present in Thailand. Thirteen Thai companies are present in France, mainly in the fields of agri-food and manufacturing, providing nearly 1,330 jobs.
In order to meet the needs of its customers on the Thai market, Simon Associés has developed privileged relations with economic and legal partners locally.
Vietnam
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a South-East Asian country on the eastern side of the Indochinese Peninsula. Surrounded by Laos and Cambodia to the West and China to the North, it is bordered by the Chinese Sea, Gulf of Tonkin and Gulf of Thailand. Vietnam covers a total area of 331,212 sqkm with a population approaching 92.7 million people (source: World Bank, 2017).
The Vietnamese economy is highly dependent on the manufacturing sector (clothing and textile) as well as on the electronics sector. Exports represent a large part of its trade share. The signing of “strategic partnerships” is a central element of the Vietnamese foreign policy, which nowadays focuses on a dozen major partners.
France is the 2nd largest European investor and the 15th largest global investor in Vietnam by the end of 2018 with USD 3.7 billion of FDI in stock. Despite dynamic economic cooperation, bilateral trade remains in deficit for France (€4.2 billion): French exports to Vietnam amounted to €1.2 billion (-23.7%, compared to 2017), while imports from Vietnam (textiles and footwear, sports goods, mobile phones, etc.) reached €5.4 billion (+5.1% compared to 2017). There are nearly 300 French companies operating in the country, providing nearly 26,000 jobs (source: France Diplomatie, 2018).
In order to meet the needs of its customers on the Vietnamese market, Simon Associés has developed privileged relations with economic and legal partners locally.
