French President Emmanuel Macron will arrive in India on December 8 on a three-day visit, said France’s Ambassador to India Alexandre Ziegler.
Speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the launch of Jet Airways’ Chennai-Paris non-stop flight here, Ziegler said that besides strategic issues, trade, smart-city solutions, renewable energy, defence and education will figure in the discussions between the two countries.
Bilateral trade between the two countries is worth €10 billion. French investments in India are on the rise; they touched €1 billion last year.
French multinational PSA Group, which makes automobiles and motorcycles under brands such as Peugeot, Opel and Citroen, will partner with CK Birla group to set up an engine plant in Chennai.
The Birla Group had earlier announced that it will invest ₹700 crore in power-train manufacturing in Tamil Nadu. The plant, expected to be ready by early 2019, will have an annual capacity to produce 1,00,000 engines, to be supplied to OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) in India and abroad.
Though Indian investments in France total €100 million, Ziegler said steps are being taken to encourage Indian enterprises to invest in the areas of energy, pharmaceuticals and retailing in France.