Ayrault: ‘Our two countries can help provide joint responses to the major economic, social and environmental challenges
facing our world today’.

29/07/2013 (The Star) - French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault arrives for an official two-day visit to Malaysia today – the first by a French premier in 31 years. In an email interview with The Star, Ayrault gives his assessment on the state of bilateral relations and how it can be further developed. Ayrault also addresses the palm oil issue, a hot topic in Malaysia.

HOW have relations between France and Malaysia developed so far in terms of trade and economics as well as political ties and military ties?

A: Relations between France and Malaysia are particularly dynamic. The recent period has been very rich in development, with the discussion last November in Vientiane between the President of the Republic, François Hollande, and your Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. There have also been numerous visits by government ministers and senior officials. French businesses have a particularly strong presence in your country.

Malaysia is now the second biggest economic and trading partner for France in Asean. Our bilateral trade reached a record level of ‚5.3bil (RM22.2bil) in 2012.

The number of French companies established in Malaysia has been steadily increasing in recent years. This development has led to a significant increase in the number of French expatriates in Malaysia. Over 3,000 are residents here.

Similarly, we are now seeing a steady increase in the number of French tourists. A sign of this dynamic is the recent opening by Air France of direct flights between Paris and Kuala Lumpur.

Our relations are also strong in defence and security, with major partnerships, regular dialogue and operational cooperation. We maintain intensive cultural, scientific and academic cooperation.

The official visit I am making today to Malaysia is therefore highly relevant. It is my wish that it should contribute to further strengthening our partnership in every domain.

What are the ways in which these ties can be further strengthened?

Like Malaysia, the French government has made youth and education a priority. In the years to come, we wish to intensify exchanges of students, interns and teachers, and between the civil societies of our two countries.

Closer ties between our peoples can only encourage a further blooming of our bilateral economic relations. There are too few Malaysian companies present in France; currently only 20 or so. I want others to join them and invest in our economy.

France is an open and welcoming country. It has a highly qualified and productive workforce, excellent infrastructure, especially in transport, and is at the heart of a European market with 500 million consumers. As for French businesses, they are also ready and willing to support Malaysia in all of its projects.

How does France view the strategic importance of Malaysia as well as the Asean region?

Malaysia, and Asean more generally, are key partners. Economically, your region is among the most dynamic in the world. It is a bridge between Europe, the Middle East and South Asia on the one hand and, on the other, the Far East and the Pacific. In this respect, Malaysia, bordered as it is by the Malacca Straits and the South China Sea, occupies a strategic position. Asean’s increasing integration is a guarantee of stability and prosperity.

Malaysia is playing to the full its role on the international stage: in addition to its participation in Asean, it is a Muslim country that promotes “moderation”; it is a State with a highly active foreign policy that involves itself in global affairs on the side of peace and conflict settlement, as was shown by its facilitation of the Mindanao peace process. France and Malaysia are also engaged side-by-side in Lebanon under the auspices of action by the United Nations.

Our two countries can help provide joint responses to the major economic, social and environmental challenges facing our world today. As you know, in 2015 France will be hosting the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. France is relying on Malaysia to help ensure an ambitious outcome.

What is your view about the United States’ “pivot to Asia” policy amid the strengthening influence of China in the region?

Just as France and the European Union have an interest in Malaysia and Asean, the United States and China are also aware of the strategic importance of your country and your region. That is what motivates their desire for greater involvement here. Their presence must contribute to greater stability and prosperity, just as it must foster an increase in mutually beneficial contacts in every domain. All these objectives are also those pursued by France with its desire to strengthen its partnership with Malaysia and the other Asean countries.

What are the areas in which French companies can work with Malaysian companies?

Many French companies are already working with their Malaysian partners in the areas of oil and gas, aviation, transport and infrastructure, as well as high technology and innovation. Those partnerships are commercial and industrial and increasingly go hand in hand with a regional dimension.

In recent years, such partnerships have been enriched with technology transfers and joint industrial developments. This trend testifies to the confidence felt by French companies in their relations with your country’s economic actors, as well as to their desire to see them reach new levels of quality. It seems to me that our two governments should encourage this.

The types of high technology that French companies wish to develop are those at the heart of the Malaysian programme for economic transformation. Green technology, aviation, electronics and biotechnology are notably involved here.

Does Airbus have any plans to further use the CTRM facilities and expertise, given the fact that Malaysia is one of the biggest buyers of Airbus?

CTRM is a key partner for EADS and Airbus in composites. It is highly rated, especially for its competence. Airbus cooperates closely with CTRM, and a number of its Malaysian engineers are trained in France, in Toulouse. Given the current rapid expansion of the global aviation market and the continuing investment policy of the EADS Group in Malaysia, I am convinced that this partnership has a bright future.

How can cultural ties between France and Malaysia be further developed?

The cultural ties between France and Malaysia are both longstanding and fundamental. Since 1962, the Alliance Française in Kuala Lumpur and Penang have been promoting not only French language and culture in Malaysia, but also and above all cultural exchanges between our two countries and our peoples. This is so because we have a shared vision of the world based on respect for the diversity of cultural expression.

France was among the first countries to sign a cultural cooperation agreement with Malaysia in 1972. That agreement even now provides a framework for our cooperation in this field, as also in scientific, technical and educational matters.

Thanks to the commitment of the Malaysian government and with help from France, the teaching of French is progressing in Malaysian public education. In France, Bahasa Melayu is taught at the Maison du Monde Malais, in La Rochelle, and in particular at the Institut des Langues et Civilisations Orientales in Paris.

Youth is the principal driver for the growth in cultural exchanges between France and Malaysia. The numbers of Malaysians studying in France and French students on exchanges or internships in Malaysia are rising year by year. This development is underpinned by the rapid expansion of academic and scientific cooperation programmes between our two countries, as well as by the strengthening of our bilateral relationship. We are in this way learning to get to know and appreciate each other more. This can only be a cause of pleasure for me.

One little known but interesting fact about France for many Malaysians is how there is a substantial number of Muslims in France. How has Islam managed to coexist with the other religions in France, and what are the challenges your country faces in this respect?

First, let me express my best wishes for an excellent Ramadan to the Muslim community in Malaysia. I am particularly honoured to be welcomed to your country in what is a sacred month for all Muslims. I wish to thank the Malaysian government for this sign of particular favour, which testifies to the high quality of the relations between our two countries.

France has approximately five million Muslims, which is almost 8% of its population. That can only be an estimate because the collection of faith-based statistical data is banned in France.

France is a Republic that guarantees equality between all individuals irrespective of their origins, along with freedom of belief and religious worship, subject to respect for the secular nature of the State. France is open to all those wishing to live in the country, on condition that they abide by its laws.

Our system of integration is facing a number of difficulties. These will be resolved not by reneging on our values but by using all relevant policies in fields such as access to education, housing, employment and healthcare to ensure that integration can once again progress. This is a goal underpinning the action taken by my Government.

There have been allegations that the French position on palm oil trade is neither free nor fair and the commodity often gets bad press and discriminated against in France. What is the position of your Government on this issue?

This is a topic on which there has been considerable misunderstanding.

Firstly, a small number of French producers and distributors have been promoting products “without palm oil”. This is not an obligation; it is a private initiative covered by the principle of freedom of commerce. From next year, new European Union regulations will make it mandatory to identify on packaging the plant oils present in the composition of foodstuffs.

Secondly, a proposal from Parliament sought to tax products containing palm oil. This proposal was not supported by my Government and was not adopted. Let me repeat here that palm oil will not be taxed.

If the French Government is serious about increasing bilateral trade with Malaysia, what steps are the French Government taking to work out a win-win situation vis-à-vis the palm oil issue?

We addressed this topic, among others, in the Franco-Malaysian working group which met last March in Paris. We are open to dialogue, which is relevant and constructive. France is not hostile to palm oil. I wish to stress this as forcefully as possible. Indeed, it was a Frenchman, Henri Fauconnier, who spread the oil palm across Malaysia.