French automobile giant PSA Peugeot Citroen is to lend China the value of its wisdom and experience in traffic issues.

"Our development in China should not be limited to manufacturing and trade," said Alain Sartoris, director of PSA's China project.

"As the second largest automaker in Europe, our goal is to help China's development of a sustained economy with our experience in other countries in the world, especially Europe, while we become an important car manufacturer."

Latest statistics indicate that the joint venture Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile Co Ltd already has 5.3 per cent of the Chinese car market. In the first quarter, its sales volume rose 44 per cent year-on-year, making it one of the fastest-growing players.

Sartoris said China is facing challenges of green-house effect, social mobility and transport safety. The three areas will also be looked at during PSA's co-operation with China.

"Europe and China share many similarities like high-density populations in cities and limited resources of fossil energies, so we believe our solutions in Europe can bring some help to China too," said Sartoris.

He said PSA is a world leader in the development and use of diesel in automobiles and is also strong in reducing the size of valves and increasing the use of biological energies and natural gas.

In Beijing, car exhausts account for half of the nitrogen dioxide and hydrocarbon in the atmosphere and 23 per cent of the suspended particles. The city, with almost three million vehicles, decided to replace current Euro II emission standards with a new Euro III version this year, in a bid to reduce emissions. It is estimated that the use of clean diesel reduces green-house gas emissions by 30 per cent. PSA has just received a senior Chinese delegation in Paris to discuss the advantages of diesel, gas and biological fuels in cars.

PSA also looks at natural gas as a possilbe solution for clean fuel in China. Because so many people are buying private cars in China a balancing act between social mobility and environmental problems is a major worry.

"The mobility of urban society is a major condition to the development of the economy and society, but there may also be problems for society and the economy with unlimited growth of car usage," said Sartoris.

PSA has been an active supporter for the French organization City on the Move Institute (IVM) since 2001, which is engaged in discussing and tackling the mobile society issue.

IVM has been working with China since its foundation and held a joint seminar in October in Beijing to discuss the roles of transport system planning and technological development.

The French automobile giant also sponsored IVM and Tongji University in Shanghai to set up an international lecture program in the leading Chinese technical university, with a focus on mobile society.

In the traffic safety area, PSA will also accelerate its co-operation with Chinese partners. It organizes a media club and channels journalists and transport experts to meet and learn transport safety issues.

At the same time, PSA also supported a hospital in Wuhan of Central China's Hubei Province on studies on the use of safety belts and how they can reduce damages in accidents.

In June, PSA and two Chinese institutions will organize an international transport safety seminar in Beijing to promote exchanges between Chinese and international experts and officials.

"We do not want to act as a teacher, but help China learn from the experience of Europe and develop its own solutions through our fruitful dialogues," said Sartoris.

(China Daily May 20, 2005)