France's Elior Group chief ‘confident' about Hong Kong aircraft processing deal
A leading French aeronautical services company with plans to use Hong Kong as its regional base to expand its reach across Asia, including mainland China, is confident of finalising a deal to develop its first aircraft parts processing and trading centre on the continent.
Advertisement
In an exclusive interview with the Post, Daniel Derichebourg, chairman and CEO of the France-based Elior Group, expressed confidence a deal with the city government could be reached and that with authorities' support, through provision of land and trained talent, Hong Kong would continue to grow as a centre of aviation excellence.
He added he hoped to set up the company's operation for aircraft dismantling, parts processing and recycling in the city 'as soon as possible'.
'We are still in an early stage of our discussions … Yes, we are confident that we will make it work. Because if not, we will not be here,' Derichebourg, 72, said.
'We're keen and committed to setting up this operation in Hong Kong. Our mission is to develop our business in Asia, and Hong Kong will be a regional base.'
Advertisement
Posting on Facebook last week after meeting with Derichebourg, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu threw his full support behind the group setting up in Hong Kong, pledging the government would provide one-stop services to help operations in the city.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTHK
3 hours ago
- RTHK
Hang Seng Index ends day on a weak note
Hang Seng Index ends day on a weak note The Hang Seng Index ended trading for the day down 114 points at 23,792. File photo: AFP Hong Kong and mainland Chinese stocks ended slightly lower on Friday, as investors remained cautious after a call between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, failed to provide clear signals of progress in easing trade tensions. Trump and Xi confronted weeks of brewing trade tensions and a battle over critical minerals in a rare leader-to-leader call on Thursday, leaving key issues unresolved for future talks. "If you look at the conversation between the Chinese and US presidents, there's nothing concrete that's positive. So little impact on stocks," said Guo Jianwen, partner at Shanghai-based hedge fund Haiyi Capital. In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index ended trading for the day down 114.43 points, or 0.48 percent, at 23,792.54. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index fell 0.63 percent to end at 8,629.75 while the Hang Seng Tech Index fell 0.63 percent to end at 5,286.52. Across the border, the blue-chip CSI300 Index fell 0.1 percent. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index ended up 0.04 percent at 3,385.36, while the Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.19 percent lower at 10,183.70. The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, lost 0.45 percent to close at 2,039.43. For the holiday-shortened week, the CSI 300 Index gained nearly 1 percent, while the Hang Seng Index rose 2.2 percent. (Agencies)
Asia Times
9 hours ago
- Asia Times
US Trojan horse alarms pushing China's robots to Europe
Chinese robot makers are expanding their presence in Europe amid the growing risk of having their products banned by Washington if the US-China technology war escalates. Distributors of Unitree Robotics and several others backed by Chinese technology giants such as Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent (a tech trio known as BAT), said at a recent event in London that Chinese firms are actively seeking European customers and partners. Aska Liu, founder and chief executive at EnduX, a United Kingdom-based distributor for Chinese robot makers, told Asia Times that many Chinese robotic firms are still collaborating with their US counterparts despite rising Sino-China political tensions. Aska Liu, founder and chief executive at EnduX, says Europe and China should collaborate in robotic technologies. Photo: Asia Times/Jeff Pao For example, she said that Physical Intelligence (Pi), a California-based AI firm founded in 2024, used AgiBot's hardware to develop their robotic brains. She said Chinese and US firms, which are good at hardware and brains, respectively, should collaborate and utilize each other's strengths. However, she noted that some Chinese players are now seeking to diversify their markets. 'We have seen a shift in focus of some Chinese players to Europe,' she said. 'They are saying: The US has so much instability and uncertainty. We don't want to put all eggs in one basket.' She suggested Europe could benefit from the changing political situation between the US and China, as Chinese robot makers want to build stronger relationships with the bloc. Liu said Europe is the best place in the world for Chinese firms to deploy robotic technologies because: Europe has labor shortage challenges; Europe has intense industrial and agricultural scenes for the deployment of robots; Europe is a global leader in regulations and a good gatekeeper for ethics, safety and standards; China has a complete electronic supply chain for companies to finish proof-of-concept (POC) and mass-produce their robots. She said Chinese robot makers should target markets related to research and education, inspection and patrolling, hospitality and services, material handling and so-called 'teleoperation', which allows workers in low-wage countries to control robots remotely and work in shops and factories in high-cost countries. At the same time, Chinese robots are under assault in America. On May 9, the US Congress' Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) said its members signed a bipartisan letter warning of a growing national security threat posed by Unitree's 'dual-use' robots. The committee called for an investigation into Unitree's connection to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and whether the company's products contain built-in backdoors that transmit data back to China. It said China might use the robots' remote-access features to spy, gather intelligence or cause Trojan horse-like disruption inside the US. 'The fact that PLA-connected robots are operating in US prisons and even within Army operations should be a wake-up call,' said committee chairman John Moolenaar. 'These machines are not just tools—they are potential surveillance devices backed by the CCP.' In November 2022, the Federal Communications Commission banned the import of communications equipment made by China's Huawei Technologies and ZTE because they were 'deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to national security.' In early 2024, the Biden administration warned of potential national security risks associated with Chinese electric vehicle imports. Autodiscovery, a UK-based distributor for China's Unitree and AgileX, said on its website that it can disable all networking features if a customer wishes to use the robot in a secure environment. According to official footage, Unitree G1 and US robot maker Boston Dynamics' Atlas can move swiftly, but the latter can perform more complex tasks, such as precisely moving objects. Aron Kisdi, managing director at Autodiscovery, says Chinese robot makers aim to enhance their robots' ability to move objects. Photo: Asia Times/Jeff Pao 'In the recent demonstrations from Boston Dynamics, we have seen much more capability from the robot. It can pick up heavy objects and move them around in a facility. That is certainly a skill many of our clients are looking for,' said Aron Kisdi, managing director at Autodiscovery. 'The ability to do simple tasks like moving strange-shaped or heavy objects from one location to another in the factory is useful for our clients,' he said. 'Unitree platforms don't have the software capability out of the box, and we need to implement this specifically for the client whenever we find a new deployment. Boston Dynamics is ahead of this.' Kisdi said his company not only sells Chinese robots but also helps Chinese manufacturers understand the needs of European customers, enabling them to improve their research and development (R&D). 'We are increasingly talking to end users who don't have a robotics lab but want a functional robot in their facility doing useful things,' he said. 'By the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027, we will have Unitree-based platforms with improved software that can go straight to clients.' Atlas is not yet available for sale. Its production cost is estimated to be between US$500,000 and $1 million. Unitree's G1 robot, which made global headlines in the world's first robotic kickboxing match in Hangzhou last month, is priced at only $16,000. 'I wouldn't categorize Chinese and US robots as low-end or high-end, but they are in different parts of the value chain,' Liu said. 'China is leading the hardware, manufacturing and design. We see all sorts of robots manufactured and designed in China, which are second to none. You won't be able to find this level of variety, quality, value for money or cost anywhere.' 'In a humanoid robot, 40 to 60% of its parts can be sourced from the supply chain of electric vehicles. China is very well developed in electric vehicles, and it's having an advantage,' she added. Founded by Liu in March 2023, EnduX sells robots for LimX Dynamics (backed by Alibaba Group and NIO Capital), AgiBot (backed by Tencent, BYD and Baidu), Deep Robotics and Kepler Exploration Robotics. LimX's TRON1 Photo: Asia Times/Jeff Pao Although Chinese robot makers enjoy a cost advantage in global markets, they face rising domestic competition. At the Humanoids Summit, held in London on May 29-30, Unitree displayed an H1 robot without turning it on, while Kingston University used a Unitree G1 robot to demonstrate some simple movements. EnduX demonstrated LimX's TRON1, a biped robot that can maintain balance on rough terrains. Booster Robotics, a Beijing-based company established in 2023, stole the show with its T1 robot playing football and performing with a human dancer. The T1 humanoid robot stands 1.2 meters and weighs 30 kilograms, compared with Unitree G1's 1.3 meters and 35 kilograms. A Booster T1 robot performs with a human dancer. Photo: Asia Times/Jeff Pao 'Unitree is a great company and has made great products and market noise,' Chaoyi Li, head of globalization at Booster Robotics, told Asia Times during a question-and-answer session. 'As a startup, we have to differentiate our products. We want to make something robust to ensure our products don't break that much.' Li said Booster also invested in software development, with many of its team members having worked in companies like Microsoft. He said his company would build better hands for its robots to do sophisticated tasks. Read: China stages first-ever humanoid robot kickboxing match
South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Original Hermès Birkin bag to be auctioned in Paris in July and a bidding frenzy is likely
The first Birkin bag, designed by French luxury brand Hermès for actress Jane Birkin, is set to be sold at auction in Paris and likely to spark a bidding frenzy. The Birkin has become a modern design icon that is so exclusive that Hermès only offers it to loyal clients, with prices starting at around US$10,000. Auction house Sotheby's, which is handling the sale of the Birkin prototype in Paris on July 10, declined to specify a reserve price publicly, and its value is hard to forecast. 'The original Birkin holds the potential to redefine records,' Morgane Halimi, Sotheby's global handbag and fashion head, said in a statement. Jane Birkin's iconic bag was created for her after a conversation on a flight with the head of Hermès. Photo: Sotheby's
