Chinese Business Club

The Chinese Business Club is a business circle founded in 2012 by Harold Parisot. Every month in Paris, the Club brings together entrepreneurs, investors, politicians, diplomats, journalists, managers, and business leaders.

It is a powerful address book. It offers a “turnkey” service to the member companies, with twelve annual events. The founding President gives us his point of view, exclusively.

Why this club? What was your initial idea?

The Chinese gave me the idea. I was often in contact with Chinese friends and each time, the Chinese asked me to meet with French brand owners. Sometimes there were brands for sale, personalities or journalists interested in these issues. On many occasions, they asked me to meet Jean-Pierre Raffarin, a French statesman who has done a lot for relations between the two countries.

After the tenth request, I said to myself that something had to be done at last so, I created a small club, a business network, where networking between the French and Chinese would have a very complementary place. The French aim to meet the Chinese; conversely, the Chinese meet the French. This is how it all started, and then it took more than three years to really «take off»! On 15 June 2015, I managed to get Emmanuel Macron to come. He was then Minister of the Economy. Thanks to his presence, the Chinese Business Club took off. This immediately boosted our reputation.

Do the French and Chinese really manage to communicate?

The French are delighted to meet the Chinese despite the not always positive news. The Chinese are also happy to meet the French because they need them. There has always been a real complementarity between these two populations. These monthly business lunches are important.

Language is not a barrier. There are translators and interpreters who work during these exchanges. In any case, the French speak English and so do the Chinese. There is really no barrier, on the contrary. If the cultures are different, the exchange remains productive and can be useful in the short or long term.

How do you see the Chinese yourself?

I didn’t know them ten years ago. I have to say that I’m now ‘blown away’ by the Chinese mentality. I’m happy to have discovered it, it’s a story I like. The Chinese are numerous. They’re hungry, they want to earn money… so they work and make great strides. When there’s a problem, or even an obstacle, they overcome it with ease. I really admire that!

The Chinese are less assisted than we are in their country. Finally, they are more resourceful. «How to get around difficulties…» . We should learn more about this . Both in terms of new strategies and creativity, their determination is also immense, they know how to hold on for the long term. Their spirit is totally «entrepreneurial».

Are the French afraid of China?

The image of the Chinese has changed a lot in France over the last ten years. In the past, the French tended to think that the Chinese were copiers. Many French people now see the Chinese as new creators. The French should be taught to get to know the Chinese better, which would avoid a certain mistrust of them.

A totally different culture between these two worlds leads to a lack of understanding?

The Chinese remain discreet and modest. The French perceive this attitude as something they would like to hide…

It’s not that, the issue is the Chinese are simply discreet, they don’t often make their investment intentions known, they act directly after reflection and analysis. These differences are cultural. There is work to be done here, but I can see that the relationship is basically positive.