The 2014 session brought together 37 French and Chinese “Young Leaders” for 4 days in Hangzhou and Beijing, from October 24 to 27. The main theme was “The Role of Cities in International Relations.”

Program highlights:

• Discussion sessions among Young Leaders

• Meeting with Li Yuanchao, Vice President of the People’s Republic of China

• Visit to the Alibaba Group and discussion session with Brian Wong, Vice President

• Visit to the China Academy of Art with architect Wang Shu, winner of the 2012 Pritzker Prize

• Lunch with Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former Prime Minister, and Li Zhaoxing, former Minister of Foreign Affairs

• Discussion session with Hubert Védrine, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, on “The Role of Cities in International Relations”

• Meeting with Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, Ambassador of France to China

• Visit to the studio of Huang Rui, a leading figure in contemporary Chinese art

The 2015 session brought together 37 “Young Leaders” for 4 days in Normandy and Paris, from October 16 to 19. The main theme was “Culture and Soft Power.”

Program highlights:

• Discussion sessions among Young Leaders on the theme “Culture and Soft Power”
• Reception at the Hôtel de Matignon, with the presence of Prime Minister Manuel Valls
• Meeting with Philippe Augier, Mayor of Deauville, and visit to the Haras du Quesnay
• Lunch with Édouard Philippe, Mayor of Le Havre and Young Leader 2013, and visit to the Port of Le Havre
• Visit to the Historial Jeanne d’Arc in Rouen, the largest site dedicated to the memory of this historical figure
• Exploration of the Chinese collections at the Musée Guimet with Sophie Makariou, President
• Participation in a rehearsal of a contemporary dance performance at the Palais Garnier

The 2016 session brought together 40 Young Leaders for 4 days in the Henan province and then in Beijing, from September 16 to 19. The main theme was “Heritage and Innovation.”

Program highlights:

Discussion among Young Leaders on the theme “Heritage and Innovation,” led by Cédric Villani, Fields Medal-winning mathematician, and Frédéric Raillard, Young Leader 2013 and co-founder of Fred & Farid.
Meeting with Li Yuanchao, Vice President of the People’s Republic of China
Visit to the infrastructure of the “New Silk Road” in Zhengzhou
Meeting with Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former Prime Minister, at the French Embassy in Beijing
Visit to the Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of Kung Fu, and conversation with the abbot on the theme “Why is Kung Fu so Modern?”
Visit to the SOHO 3Q co-working space in Beijing

The 2017 session brought together 49 “Young Leaders” for 4 days in Lyon, Dijon, and Paris, from October 13 to 16. The main theme was “Health and Innovation.”

Program highlights:

• Discussion sessions among Young Leaders
• Visit to bioMérieux, a global leader in in-vitro diagnostics
• Discussion session on artificial intelligence with Laurent Alexandre, AI expert
• Visit to the New Franco-Chinese Institute in Lyon
• Visit to the studio of Yan Peiming in Dijon
• Discussion with Martin Hirsch, Director of AP-HP, on “The Challenges of Healthcare in France”
• Visit to Station F

The 2018 session brought together 44 “Young Leaders” for 4 days in Chongqing and Beijing, from October 12 to 15. The main theme was “The Megacities of the Future.”

Program highlights:

• Discussion sessions among Young Leaders
• Meeting with Wang Qishan, Vice President of the People’s Republic of China
• Visit to the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute
• Meetings with Liu Jiakun, world-renowned architect
• Discussion with Professor Sun Jiwei, former mayor of the Pudong district in Shanghai and Vice Secretary General of the Shanghai Government
• Visit to BOE, a leader in connected objects, and Face++, a leader in facial recognition technology
• Visit to Testbed 2, an artistic district under renovation in Chongqing

The 2019 session brought together 44 “Young Leaders” for 4 days in Aix-en-Provence, Arles, and Paris, from July 5 to 8. The main theme was “Optimism.”

Program highlights:

• Discussion sessions among Young Leaders on the theme of Optimism
• Visit to TheCamp, Aix-en-Provence
• Day at the Rencontres Économiques d’Aix-en-Provence
• Discussion with Valérie Pécresse
• Discussion with Lionel Zinsou, Thomas Buberl, and Pascal Lamy
• Les Rencontres Photographiques d’Arles: Discussions with Sam Stourdzé, Director of Les Rencontres d’Arles, Philippe Chancel, and Kurt Tong, Photographers
• Visit to the National Assembly by Members of Parliament Anne-Laure Cattelot (YL 2018), Coralie Dubost (YL 2017), and Olivier Véran
• Discussion with our Young Leader, Sibyle Veil, at Radio France

The 2021 edition brought together 26 “Young Leaders” for 4 days in Paris and at the Châteauform of Mareil-le-Guyon, from October 22 to 24.

Program highlights:

• Meeting with Agnès PANNIER-RUNACHER (YL 2017), Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy, Finance, and Recovery, in charge of Industry
• Meeting with François BARRAULT, President of IDATE
• Meeting with Nicolas HOUZé (YL 2016), CEO, Galeries Lafayette / BHV Marais Group
• Visit to Galeries Lafayette Haussmann with Alexandre LIOT (YL 2021), CEO of Galeries Lafayette Haussmann
• Meeting with Pascal LAMY, former Director-General of the WTO, President of the Jacques Delors Institute
• Young Leaders session: “What future for the France-China relationship?” organized in groups of Young Leaders
• Young Leaders session: “Europe-China, the challenges of climate transition,” organized in groups of Young Leaders
• Meeting with Jean-Baptiste DJEBBARI (YL 2020), Minister Delegate to the Minister for Ecological Transition, in charge of Transport
• Meeting with Sylvie BERMANN, Ambassador of France to China (2011-2014), the United Kingdom (2014-2017), and Russia (2017-2019), President of the IHEDN Board of Directors
• Private visit to the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection

The 2024 edition of the France-China Young Leaders program gathered 44 young French and Chinese leaders for 4 days in Tianjin and Beijing, from March 22 to 25, under the theme “60 years of Franco-Chinese cooperation – Future Perspectives.”

Program highlights:

• Visits to the Tianjin Port and Airbus A320 final assembly line
• Meeting with Mr. LIANG Yiming, Deputy Mayor of the Binhai District
• Visit to the Hongho Paiho Museum
• Discussions on cultural cooperation with special guests (film producer, museum director)
• Meeting at the Tianjin Guest Hotel with the Deputy Mayor, presentations from Young Leaders
• Visit to the Forbidden City and Phoenix Center
• Banquet of the France-China Young Leaders 2024 program at the Grand Hotel Beijing with Wang Chao (President of CPIFA), Jean-Baptiste Djebbari (former Minister), Li Zhaoxing (former Minister)
• Official meeting with a Chinese state leader
• Presentation and discussion with Marie-Laure de Rochebrune, curator of the Château de Versailles, on the exhibition “The Palace of Versailles and the Forbidden City: Franco-Chinese relations in the 18th century” at the Temple
• AI seminar at Tsinghua University with experts