EMMANUEL Lenain, the new French consul general in Shanghai, is no stranger to the city although he only landed, smoothly, in December. His Chinese name reads "Lu Lijie," which means "strength" (li) and "efficiency" (jie), both essential attributes for a diplomat.

The 40-year-old official worked in Beijing from 2003 to 2005 as a political counsellor. But his first visit to the country dates back to 1991, when he was a student and spent two months taking train journeys across China, when it was greatly different from how it is now.

"I took a train almost every day and went to remote places like Luoyang and Kaifeng (in Henan Province). It was a great trip and very much different. Even the train was different. I saw steam engines once or twice," he tells Shanghai Daily.

"It was warm and lively in the train, there was a real life and people were happy to chat with foreigners."

He also remembers how the people were surprised to see foreigners back then, trying to touch his skin and to engage in conversation.

Lenain has always enjoyed train travel more than airplanes since "you don't feel the distance or sense of traveling taking a plane."

Lenain still remembers clearly his first job at the peace talks of Kosovo in 1997, because it was a great experience to start a career working with a team of experts from diverse areas.

Before taking the office in Shanghai, Lenain had been moving back and forth between China and the United States, and has found that despite the differences the two countries have much in common, especially in their enormous passion and energy to achieve.

"China is a priority for our government, so we have a great team here and we are planning a lot of large-scale and high-profile events," he says.

With 47 years of diplomatic ties between China and France, the imports from France into China reached 11 billion euros (US$15.34 billion) in 2010, a 39.4 percent increase from 2009, while exports from China to France were 37 billion euros, a 23.7 percent year-on-year increase.

The consul general promises to achieve three major missions in this area - to take care of the French community, to promote business collaborations, and to present to a large Chinese audience the very idea of what France is.

"Right now we are fully engaged into an effort to inform our community about the ongoing crisis in Japan and answer their questions regarding possible consequences in China," Lenain says.

The latest records of the French general consulate account for 9,700 French citizens registered in Shanghai, and 10,900 when including members of their families of other nationalities. The number gets close to 15,000 counting those who are not officially registered.

And 37 percent of all the 820 French companies (branches included) present in China in 2008 had a base in Shanghai. The number reaches 45 percent with the neighboring provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui, also covered by the French Consulate General in Shanghai.

"Our French community in this area is the largest in Asia, and I want to make sure that they are taken good care of in terms of health care, education and work, among many other aspects," he says.

"In terms of business collaborations, we have traditionally been focused on big contracts like the transportation facilities or the nuclear energy, but I will also make sure to maintain a great network for small-to-medium-size companies to do business here."

On the other hand, the office has also seen a great increase in visa applications from the area, they almost doubled from 47,738 in 2009 to 82,747 in 2010. About 60,000 to 70,000 Chinese people are currently living in France.

The official and his team plan to increase communication efforts to further promote French culture to Chinese in the area by re-designing the website, extending the bilingual publications (in Chinese and French) and organizing larger and better cultural events.

One of the biggest upcoming events is the annual "Fête de la musique" (music festival), and Lenain promises to "make you surprised because we are using very unique and unusual locations this year."

During the past three months, he has already visited numerous cities in the area, including Shaoxing, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Ningbo, and is pleasantly impressed by the thriving energy there.

"I don't like cities that turn historical sites into museums, which makes the city totally frozen in the past. In this area, there are many cities that manage to keep the history alive. They maintain artifacts from the past and move toward the future simultaneously with enormous energy," he concludes. France by Numbers

11 billion euros

The imports from France into China reached 11 billion euros (US$15.34 billion) in 2010, a 39.4 percent increase from 2009, while exports from China to France were 37 billion euros, a 23.7 percent year-on-year increase.

9,700

There are 9,700 French citizens registered in Shanghai, and 10,900 when including members of their families of other nationalities.

37 percent

Of all the 820 French companies (branches included) present in China in 2008, 37 percent had a base in Shanghai.

60,000-70,000

About 60,000 to 70,000 Chinese people are currently living in France. About the Consul

Q: How have you adjusted to your posting here?

A: I worked from 2003 to 2005 in Beijing as a political counsellor, and visited Shanghai many times. China is a high priority for our government, so we have a great team here, which has also helped me to adjust well.

Q: What kind of events do you plan to organize this year?

A: We will focus on large-scale and high-profile events. The upcoming one is the "Fête de la musique," or the music festival, which will be held on June 18-19. You are going to be surprised this year, because we are using very unusual locations.



Q: What are the best and worst things about being a diplomat?

A: The worst experience happened when I worked in New York from 2000 to 2003 in the Security Council. All of us felt awful witnessing a war coming in Iraq, but being unable to prevent it. You know it is going to be a mistake, but there is nothing you can do. That is the worst.

It was also great to be in Washington DC during the last US election. It was an amazing experience to witness President Barack Obama getting elected. I was fortunate to attend both Democratic and Republican conventions and many primaries.

And taking part in the peace talks on Kosovo was also a great experience because I was able to work in a team with experts from various areas for my first job.

Q: What is your motto for life?

A: We have a French saying which states "Impossible is not a French word."

Q: As a diplomat, what is the one item you can't do without?

A: Books. In my area of expertise, I love books by Henry Kissinger, especially "Diplomacy." He is one of the most insightful thinkers on foreign relations.