Perpignan delegation attends maritime conference

Louis Aliot, mayor of Perpignan and president of Perpignan Méditerranée Métropole (PMM), led a delegation to the "World Maritime Equipment Conference 2026" in Fuzhou, China. The group included Stéphane Loda, mayor of Canet-en-Roussillon, and Frédéric Guillaumon, vice presidents of PMM. Perpignan was the guest of honor at the event, which lasted three days.

Fuzhou's significance and history

Fuzhou is a major Chinese city with nearly ten million people, located at the mouth of the Min Jiang, the province’s main navigable waterway. It is the largest Chinese city closest to Taipei, separated from it by the Taiwan Strait. Since 1984, when the city opened to foreign investments, many Taiwanese companies have established themselves there.

Fuzhou's historical and agricultural background

The Fuzhou Arsenal was established in 1866 by the French. Paul Claudel, a French writer, was consul there from 1899 to 1905 and wrote a major part of his work there. Fuzhou’s agricultural development focuses on specialty vegetables used in refined dishes and organic farming. Projects like the Hongkuan model farm and the Sanhua park highlight this focus.

Perpignan's strategic goals

Louis Aliot emphasized that Perpignan is building a promising friendship and twinning relationship with economic potential around the nautical hub of Canet-en-Roussillon and its companies. He said this visit is positioning Perpignan, Canet-en-Roussillon, and PMM at the center of this particularly promising international event for the future.

Highlighting Perpignan's attractions

Aliot also expressed enthusiasm for the participation, noting that visitors will be able to discover the territory, nautical construction companies, viticulture, and local gastronomic expertise of Perpignan and its surrounding areas. He described this as only the first step of a cooperation that is opening up.