Wang represents perfectly the modernising current

Modern China, industry and export, was born in the South, in Guangdong, capital: Canton. The first success remain associated with special, as industrial zone Shenzhen, where moribund communism served in socialist market economy. Thirty years after the first settlements, the entire province became a huge and diverse industrial zone. GDP reached nearly 400 billion dollars, a little more that of Taiwan. Guangdong today illustrates all the issues raised by the emergence of China. First to Western countries, in particular of the France.

Nothing beats a few concrete examples. Tockheim, the French manufacturer of gas pumps, installed 15 years ago in Canton. Originally, the pump and flow measuring instrument were made of France and mounted in China; the technological catch-up was inevitable, today the Canton plant exports these parts, but it holds 35 of the Chinese market. It will speak about offshoring is rabat-joie; in fact, it is a magnificent success. Found elsewhere without difficulty the consideration for these jobs lost in France: Canton is the hub of Southern Airlines, the largest airline China, the largest Airbus customer in Asia, which will soon take delivery of its first A380.

Such examples confirm, if there were need, the futility of the rearguard battles: we will create in France the jobs of the future that knowing use, export and investment, all of our comparative advantages. And better take date now to Canton for the next twenty years. FedEx did there not err, that was transplanted from Manila to Canton the hub of its Asian network. The Guangdong province is, in China, a land of choice for foreign investment.

Taiwanese or Japanese firms exploited the advantage that provides if cheap labour on a large scale. At the time, the province suffers from une degraded image: "workshop of the world", this formula is nowhere better than in Guangdong. By backlash, Guangdong is the laboratory of the restructuring of the Chinese economy. This restructuring, it is first the rise in range of the industry. New activities with high added value substitute mounting for low skilled labour industries. Companies such as Huawei and ZTE are among the world leaders in the telecommunications and their dynamics is clearly based on their research capacity. But this movement is also resistance: in China, such as around the world, the restructuring faced weight established interests, those who prefer to operate the former model rather than exploring new ways to the end.

This debate between two lines today is very strong in China, the management of the exchange ratewhich stirs up the politico-monétaire world - is advanced tip. On the ground, the issue is the continuation of the reforms and it is embodied in the choice was two years ago by the authorities in Beijing, Wang Yang to appoint the head of the region. Wang represents perfectly the modernising current. Far from lamenting the fall of exports due to the crisis, he has for example saw an opportunity: the time has come, he said, close little efficient production units, pushing inland activities in low added value, to explore a new frontier. Is there competition with Shanghai Of course, but it is better to speak of emulation: China takes on the world a look quite insured to play multiple cards at a time. Is there competition with Hong Kong No doubt, but it is better to speak of complementarity: Hong Kong is likely to remain the dominant financial position; However, thirty minutes from Canton by TGV, it will be increasingly integrated into this huge conurbation. And the economic and political capital, Canton: need to be convinced through the new city of Pearl. You have admired Pudong, where the Chinese have built the equivalent of the defence in 15 years, well, hold your breath, as in Canton, with the new city of pearls, it only took them five years. Visit this fall at the opening of the Asian Games: after Beijing and the Olympic Games, after Shanghai and expo 2010, China will show the world that it has also, in Canton, of a genuine regional capital in South Asia.