France will open a consulate general's office in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang, capital of Liaoning Province, in September, French Ambassador to China Herve Ladsous said yesterday.

The move fulfills a commitment between Chinese President Hu Jintao and former French President Jacques Chirac during the latter's visit to China in 2006.

"Liaoning and the northeastern Chinese regions have developed rapidly and vigorously and the opening of the consulate will help boost cooperation between France and China," said Ladsous, who is on a trip to Liaoning accompanied by more than 40 French business leaders.

France has opened consulates in Shanghai, Wuhan, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, and will become the sixth country to open a consular office in Shenyang. The United States, Japan, North Korea, Russia, and the Republic of Korea already have offices there.

Ladsous also voiced yesterday his hope of opening an Alliance Francaise - one of the world's largest networks of French language teaching - in Shenyang.

"We're looking for partners in Shenyang. We hope to enhance cultural cooperation with Liaoning in addition to economy and trade," he said.

There are 11 Alliance Francaise institutes in China in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, where about 25,000 Chinese students are studying French, according to the French ambassador.

(China Daily July 6, 2007)