sino_french _sme_fund - Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations

Agreement reached on terms of reference
for Sino-French SME Fund
www.caissedesdepots.fr
Paris, 16 June 2010 – In the presence of Ms Lagarde, Minister of the Economy,
Industry and Employment, and Mr. Kong Quan, Ambassador of the People’s Republic
of China in France, Mr. Gao Jian, Vice President of China Development Bank (CDB),
and Mr Augustin de Romanet, Chairman and CEO of Caisse des Dépôts (CDC) signed
an agreement on the key terms of reference for the establishment of a Sino-French
SME Fund.
Following detailed discussions, CDB Capital Ltd, a subsidiary of CDB, and Caisse des
Dépôts reached agreement on the launch of a Sino-French fund dedicated to SMEs. The
target set for the fund is €500 million, with €300 million in the initial phase. The aim of the
fund is to support the development of the fastest growing SMEs in China and France, and to
promote economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.
The Sino-French fund has enjoyed the backing of policymakers in both countries ever since
the project’s inception. The new private equity fund will provide a platform for bilateral
cooperation and will play an important role in developing the partnership between CDB and
Caisse des Dépôts in:
- providing support to fast-growing SMEs,
- integrating resources, technologies and markets,
- and deepening economic and trade ties between the two countries.
Background:
CDB Capital Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the China Development Bank (CDB), was
founded in August, 2009, under the economic transformation scheme approved by the State
Council. With a registered capital of RMB 35 billion, the company is engaged a broad array
of activities, including private equity funds, direct investment, and investment and financial
consulting services. Built on the investment business of CDB, CDB Capital Ltd. has become
a strategic investment platform in China and overseas. Since the launch of the Sino-Swiss
Partnership Fund, the first bilateral investment fund, in partnership with the Swiss
Government, CDB has invested actively and now manages 17 funds in its investment and
management portfolio, with a total value of RMB 60 billion. CDB has played a pioneering role
in developing the Chinese private equity market. In recent years, CDB actively implemented
China’s national “Going Global” strategy and launched a number of partnership funds on
behalf of the Chinese government, among them the China-Africa Development Fund, Sino-

Israeli Infinity Private Equity Fund, China—ASEAN Investment Fund, Sino-Italian Mandarin
Capital Partners, and the Sino-Belgian Fund. It has helped explore new avenues for the
promotion of trade and investment cooperation through private equity.
Caisse des Dépôts
The Caisse des Dépôts was founded in 1816, and is a State-held group with 71,000
employees (including its financial and service subsidiaries). As a long-term investor it serves
the general interest, in support of public policies pursued by the French central government
and local authorities.
The Caisse des Dépôts’ Elan 2020 strategic plan has set four priorities aimed at addressing
the most pressing issues facing France, namely: housing and urban development,
universities, SMEs and sustainable development.
CDC in 2009: net income: €1.98 billion, total assets: €255.6 billion, savings funds managed
by the Caisse des Dépôts: €224 billion, shareholders’ equity: €19.2 billion.
Press contact
Caisse des Dépôts :
Philippe Joyeux – 01 58 50 40 00 –
philippe.joyeux@caissedesdepots.fr
Frédéric Levet – 01 58 50 31 79 –
frederic.levet@caissedesdepots.fr
This press release can be consulted on www.caissedesdepots.fr
56, rue de Lille – 75356 Paris 07 SP