Storyline: French industrial gas firm Air Liquide announced that it would invest approximately 205 million yuan (29 million U.S. dollars) to revamp its Air Separation Unit (ASU) in Yulin, northwest China's Shaanxi province. The contract was signed in Beijing during the seventh meeting of the China-France Business Council on Thursday, which was held in the presence of leaders from both countries. After the signing ceremony, Rui Coelho, CEO of Air Liquide China, elaborated on the investment's importance to the group's decarbonization goals and Sino-French energy and environment cooperation, in an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN). "Today, we are celebrating the signing of the contract between Air Liquide and our client Yanchang Group. That shows two main things. Firstly, it emphasizes the long-term partnership between the two parties. We have been working with this client for nearly 20 years, and now we are able to collaborate on a project, with trust steadily growing over these past two decades. Secondly, it highlights the ecological transition. In the current landscape of energy transition, I see France and China sharing common goals, both targeting objectives set for 2050 or 2060, and actively pressing ahead with the implementation of related projects. Therefore, this project is a good example of a long-term partnership and the shared goal of energy transition," he said. The signing ceremony took place during French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to China, which ran from Wednesday to Friday and placed bilateral ties in the spotlight. Rui Coelho stressed that the visits by the leaders of two countries and ongoing talks play a key role in strengthening bilateral cooperation. "I believe the visits by the two heads of state and the ongoing talks are significant. From a business perspective, these are great opportunities to celebrate existing successes. Therefore, I think this visit allows us to highlight what's happening, the positive aspects of this relationship, and helps to foster dialogue and enhance mutual understanding," he added. The French business leader also expressed his confidence in Chinese market during the interview. "Air Liquide has a 35-year history in China. We view the new five-year plan with great optimism. We share many common goals with China, and Air Liquide can play a vital role in helping China and its industries achieve decarbonization and move towards a more efficient model. For example, hydrogen is a topic that has been worked on for a number of years. Air Liquide has a robotics factory near Chengdu that specializes in producing hydrogen refueling devices for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. We have installed around 100 units of equipment across China. We have established partnerships with companies such as Sinopec. The second area we are considering is renewable energy. This includes both electrification projects and the decarbonization of our own production facilities. Air Liquide has already sourced about two terawatt hours of low-carbon energy in China. We have continued to increase our consumption of renewable energy and benefit from the Climate Action Network (CAN) in China, allowing us to source low-carbon energy in a competitive, reliable, and available manner. Therefore, China is an important asset for industrial decarbonization, and Air Liquide hopes to play a role in decarbonizing its own production facilities and helping its customers decarbonize," he further stated. Shotlist: Beijing, China - Dec 4, 2025: 1. National flags of China, France on street lamppost Beijing, Chine - Dec 4, 2025: 2. SOUNDBITE (French) Rui Coelho, CEO, Air Liquide China (partially overlaid with shots 3-5): "Today, we are celebrating the signing of the contract between Air Liquide and our client Yanchang Group. That shows two main things. Firstly, it emphasizes the long-term partnership between the two parties. We have been working with this client for nearly 20 years, and now we are able to collaborate on a project, with trust steadily growing over these past two decades. Secondly, it highlights the ecological transition. In the current landscape of energy transition, I see France and China sharing common goals, both targeting objectives set for 2050 or 2060, and actively pressing ahead with the implementation of related projects. Therefore, this project is a good example of a long-term partnership and the shared goal of energy transition." [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 3. Air Liquide factory facilities 4. National flags of China, France, flag of France Air Liquide 5. Various of Air Liquide factory facilities [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 6. Plane with French President Emmanuel Macron aboard taxiing 7. Macron, his wife Brigitte Macron walking down gangway 8. Macron, Brigitte shaking hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi 9. National flags of China, France 10. SOUNDBITE (French) Rui Coelho, CEO, Air Liquide China (starting with shots 6-9): "I believe the visits by the two heads of state and the ongoing talks are significant. From a business perspective, these are great opportunities to celebrate existing successes. Therefore, I think this visit allows us to highlight what's happening, the positive aspects of this relationship, and helps to foster dialogue and enhance mutual understanding." Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, Southwest China - Recent: 11. Aerial shots of ecological park 12. Park facilities 13. Aerial shot of automobile factory 14. Aerial shots of ecological park Beijing, Chine - Dec 4, 2025: 15. SOUNDBITE (French) Rui Coelho, CEO, Air Liquide China (partially overlaid with shots 16-20): "Air Liquide has a 35-year history in China. We view the new five-year plan with great optimism. We share many common goals with China, and Air Liquide can play a vital role in helping China and its industries achieve decarbonization and move towards a more efficient model. For example, hydrogen is a topic that has been worked on for a number of years. Air Liquide has a robotics factory near Chengdu that specializes in producing hydrogen refueling devices for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. We have installed around 100 units of equipment across China. We have established partnerships with companies such as Sinopec. The second area we are considering is renewable energy. This includes both electrification projects and the decarbonization of our own production facilities. Air Liquide has already sourced about two terawatt hours of low-carbon energy in China. We have continued to increase our consumption of renewable energy and benefit from the Climate Action Network (CAN) in China, allowing us to source low-carbon energy in a competitive, reliable, and available manner. Therefore, China is an important asset for industrial decarbonization, and Air Liquide hopes to play a role in decarbonizing its own production facilities and helping its customers decarbonize." [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 16. Workers walking, discussing in Air Liquide factory 17. Various of interior of Air Liquide factory 18. Aerial shots of installations, buildings of Air Liquide factory 19. Various of Chinese, French employees working in Air Liquide factory 20. Workers walking, discussing in Air Liquide factory [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 21. Various of Air Liquide facilities [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]