SHANGHAI, Nov. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former Prime Minister of France, recently visited Sodexo China's headquarter, where he was warmly welcomed by the Sodexo China leadership team. The two sides exchanged views on the development of French companies in China and Sodexo China's business operations, local practices.

Mr. Raffarin served as Prime Minister of France from 2002 to 2005. He currently chairs La Fondation Prospective & Innovation and serves as Co-Chair of Sino-International Entrepreneurs Federation. A committed advocate of closer ties between China and France, he has made significant contributions to strengthening bilateral friendship and strategic cooperation. In 2018, he was appointed Special Representative of the French Government for China by French President Emmanuel Macron. In 2019, he was awarded the Friendship Medal by the People's Republic of China in recognition of his sustained efforts to promote friendship and cooperation between China and France.

Mr. Jean-Pierre Raffarin (center) with the Sodexo China leadership team

With more than six decades of diplomatic relations between China and France, the two countries have built a strong foundation for cooperation across business, culture and social development. Founded in 1966, Sodexo Group has grown into a multinational company, and entered the Chinese market in 1995, embarking on a journey of more than three decades of growth and development. The Franco-Chinese Business Council, established in 2018, serves as a platform for businesses from both countries to build connections and pursue new opportunities. As a core council member, Sodexo actively engages in this dialogue and has business partnerships with approximately 70% of the council's member companies, reflecting its strong connections within the Sino-France business community.

2026 marks the 60th anniversary of Sodexo Group. Founded in the port city of Marseille, France, in 1966, Sodexo has remained committed to its purpose of shaping better everyday experiences for clients and consumers through its Food and Facility Management Services. Over more than three decades in China, Sodexo has continued to expand its local operations, bringing its global perspective and expertise to bear on the evolving service needs of the Chinese market, and delivering service experiences that create lasting value for clients, consumers and local communities.

During the visit, Mr. Raffarin recognized Sodexo's contribution in China, as a French company, deeply rooted in the local market, and its positive role in fostering cultural exchange through its service activities. He underscored that people are at the heart of the service industry, and that respect for individuals and cultural differences, and Service Spirit lays the foundation to build a competitive position in the Chinese market. He further emphasized the importance of fostering strategic collaboration with clients and ecosystem partners to advance sustainable solutions, ensuring that technology and innovation ultimately serve people and deliver everlasting value.

Sodexo will remain focused on its continued growth in China and maintain its role as a bridge for business exchanges between China and France and set a new paradigm for integrating business value with responsible corporate citizenship as a key MNC player.

About Sodexo

Founded in Marseille in 1966 by Pierre Bellon, Sodexo is the leader in Food and Services, shaping better everyday experiences at every moment in life: work, heal, learn and play. The Group stands out for its independence, its founding family shareholding and its responsible business model. With its services, Sodexo meets all the challenges of everyday life with a dual goal: to improve the quality of life of our employees and those we serve, and contribute to the economic, social and environmental progress in the communities where we operate. For Sodexo, growth and social commitment go hand in hand. Our purpose is to create a better everyday for everyone to build a better life for all. Sodexo is included in the CAC Next 20, Bloomberg France 40, CAC SBT 1.5, FTSE 4 Good and DJSI indices.

About Sodexo China

Sodexo entered the Chinese market in 1995. Adhering to Group's purpose on "Shaping better everyday experiences at every moment in life", Sodexo has grown as the leader in Food and Facility Management Services in China, with a dedicated team of 18,400 employees across 1,000 sites nationwide, serving over 1.2 million consumers on daily basis. Over the years, Sodexo China has grown into a trusted partner cross a full spectrum of clients from Corporate, Healthcare to Education and Sport & Leisure, providing sustainability-led and people-centric practices around well-being services, striving to power productivity, enhance talent satisfaction, create comfort and enjoyment across every moment of work, learning, healing and playing. The company also commits to upholding the highest standards of business conducts and compliance, propelling the facilities of our clients into the Destination of Choices where people are cared and valued at its utmost.

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