Chinese Prime Minister LI Keqiang at the CMA CGM Group’s headquarter

The CMA CGM Group, a leading worldwide shipping group, was honored to receive the Chinese Prime Minister Mr Li Keqiang in its Marseilles headquarters on July 1st.
He was accompanied by France Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Laurent Fabius, the Minister of State for Foreign Trade Mr Matthias Fekl and an important Chinese ministerial delegation during this visit. This delegation included the Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Mr Yi Wang, the Reform and
Development Commission Minister Mr Shaoshi Xu, the Trade Minister Mr Hucheng Gao, the Chinese ambassador in France Mr Jun Zhai, and the Consul General Mrs Jinsong Yu.
During this exceptional visit, two major agreements were signed by Mr Jacques R. Saadé, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CMA CGM Group, Mr Rodolphe Saadé, CMA CGM Vice Chairman, Doctor Hu, Executive Vice President China Merchants Group Limited and Mr Liu Vice Chairman and Chairman of CEXIM:

• A partnership between China Merchants (CMHI) and CMA CGM to develop the strategic “One Belt, One Road” project: The « One Belt, One Road » project is a high profile strategy initiated by the Chinese government to develop many infrastructure and ports-related logistics projects. CMA CGM and China Merchants (CMHI) agreed on a common and primary interest. They signed a strategic partnership on July 1st to investigate and evaluate together, as their priority, the investment opportunities. Those opportunities will be part of the maritime dimension of the “One Belt, One Road Project”: the “Maritime Silk Road”. The CMA CGM Group is the first company to sign such an agreement with a Chinese company for this strategic project.

• A USD 1 billion financing solutions framework agreement with the Chinese bank CEXIM: CMA CGM and the Export-Import Bank of China (CEXIM) signed a framework agreement on financing solutions for a total of up to USD 1 billion in the form of loans and/or export credit insurance. Those solutions would be available for the future vessels and containers the group may order in China. Those investments are essential to accompany the CMA CGM Group’s development strategy.