Consulate-General of France 🇫🇷
Location: 25/F & 26/F Tower II, Admiralty Centre, 18 Harcourt Rd, Central
Bonjour my friends, today we visited the French Consulate. Walking in on the 26th floor, Nick immediately likened the place to a Children’s Hospital, with some interesting blue-tiled walls, and a sleek interior with comfortable furniture. After checking in with the security guard, we sat down on the long blue couch, which was, unfortunately, firmer than we imagined. We were then brought to an office where we met Mr. Cormier, the acting Consul-General of France.
Speaking about his background, he told us that he was more of a “Couch Diplomat”, in other words, his assignments were more “comfortable” . Starting his first job in Brussels, Mr. Cormier told us that after passing the French Foreign Affairs exam, he worked in Paris in weapons exports and became a Deputy Spokesperson. Following this, he moved to Washington DC, where he lived for 7 years as an exchange diplomat, a press officer at the embassy, then at the World Bank. After this long tenure, he became the Deputy Consul General in Hong Kong, but will soon be leaving to assume the role of Deputy Ambassador to the Political and Security Committee of the EU.
After this introduction, we were given a brief summary of the French Consular Mission. He told us that given France’s historical worldwide presence, cultural exchange was very important. They have an annual event called the French May Arts Festival, which celebrates French achievements in the field. Tourism is also a huge industry for France, with increasing Chinese tourists coming to France in droves. Furthermore, the consulate has also done work in education, previously holding direct representation on the board of French International School. Mr. Cormier also emphasized that culturally, Hong Kong and France were somewhat alike, given that they are both an international crossroads, with diverse populations. He even went as far as to say that like the US, being “French” is a concept, even holding some Tunisian ancestry himself.
Mr. Cormier also told us the French Foreign Ministry is one of the largest in the world, the 2nd or 3rd largest depending on how it was measured. This is because the French Foreign Ministry recently began a policy of a universal network, given its large historical naval presence. France’s presence in Hong Kong is also substantial, with approximately 15-25 thousand French residents, making up around half of all French people in China. Many of these expats work in finance and investment banking, given France’s high-level universities in this field. Furthermore, many French officials have visited Hong Kong in the past, as it is seen as a gateway to the mainland.
Economically, France is also a big partner with Hong Kong, exporting food and importing masks during the pandemic. Many French companies are also aided by Business France, a government agency that helps them work internationally. Other teams like cultural exchange, politics and press, security, and the chancery make up the 50 members of the French Consulate.
Given the hospitality we received from Mr. Cormier and his staff, we’d like to say Merci for their time, and encourage you all to visit Paris one day!