Jack managed to be absent for the anniversary of France's banlieue riots, much as he was absent during the original in the making.

So where did Jack run off to? China. Other than dodging problems at home, what was Jack up to?

Outsourcing French jobs to China.

CHIRAC LAUNCHES CAR PLANT, CLINIC IN CENTRAL CHINA

BEIJING October 26, 2006 (DPA) - French President Jacques Chirac travelled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Friday to launch a joint-venture car plant with French auto firms Citroen and Peugeot. Chirac laid a foundation stone at the new plant, a 50-50 joint venture with leading Chinese car maker Dongfeng, a company official said.

He was also scheduled to unveil a plaque inaugurating a joint-venture liver transplant clinic in Wuhan University Hospital, the French government said.

... A new Airbus assembly plant in the northern city of Tianjin will produce an average of four A320s per month by 2011, and the two sides also signed a letter of intent on the purchase of 20 Airbus A350s, the company said in a press release.

AIRBUS' DOUBLE-EDGED DEAL

October 30, 2006 (Barron's [subscription]) - French president Jacques Chirac has left China with a big order for Airbus. Given that the European plane maker hasn't had much good news lately, that is very welcome at Airbus headquarters.

That said, this is an order that, with the associated production agreement, is very different from anything that Airbus has ever undertaken. Many of the planes will be assembled in China. That implies a big change in production strategy. And Airbus managers will need to devote considerable time, effort and, probably, investment to ensure the Chinese plant's success.

This at a time when Airbus's established Europa operations are shedding jobs and in desperate need of managerial talent, time, and effort, and investment to ensure the company's European survival.

So much for yesterday's "fleurons", so much for "economic patriotism", and so much for sham disdain for mondialisation, for Anglo-Saxon economic liberalism. These were never French economic principles. They are attitudes, conveniences, employed to excuse French policies that violate free market principles.

Jack thinks he has found in China a congenial and plastic partner for French schemes. How little China needs France, but, oh, how desperately France needs China or some suitably big nation to play at being America's equal. France's influence on China will be nugatory, but France has the Sino-tiger by the tail and will be led every which way. And if France lets go, well, China will do what tigers do to tail-grabbers. It will eat France whole.

PFFT (What is this?): Chinese giveaway 2½ | Jack trying too hard to be liked 3½ | Rayonnement français 0