Are you a small French company that wants to sell in China, Thailand or Vietnam? Public support exists, often free of charge. Here are the main schemes, with their official websites.
1. First contact: Team France Export
This is the one-stop shop for exporting, run by Business France with the Chambers of Commerce (CCI), Bpifrance and the Regions. You describe your project and your region, and an adviser guides you. Website: www.teamfrance-export.fr.
2. Support worth knowing
| Scheme | Who it is for | What you get | Official website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prospecting insurance (Bpifrance) | Companies with a first 12-month balance sheet, products already on sale, at least 20 % French content (except international trading) | An advance covering 50 % of your prospecting costs (65 % for industry or a green transition). You repay at least 30 %, the rest depending on your sales in the target country | www.teamfrance-export.fr |
| V.I.E (international volunteer programme) | Companies that want a young person on site | A young person aged 18 to 28 on a 6 to 24-month assignment in the country. The allowance is exempt from French social charges | www.businessfrance.fr |
| EU SME Centre (China) | SMEs from the European Union | Free, confidential advice on the Chinese market, training, practical guides | www.eusmecentre.org.cn |
| IP Helpdesk (China and South-East Asia) | SMEs from the European Union | Free advice on protecting your trademark, patents and designs before you export | intellectual-property-helpdesk.ec.europa.eu |
| Access2Markets | All companies | Free: customs duties, rules of origin and formalities, product by product and country by country | Access2Markets |
| Enterprise Europe Network | SMEs | Advisers in the Chambers of Commerce, help to find partners abroad | through your local CCI |
3. Learning about the country
The economic departments of the French embassies publish information on each country (in French): China, Thailand, Vietnam.
4. Our advice
- Protect your trademark in the country before you sell there. In China, a trademark generally belongs to whoever registers it first: the IP Helpdesk explains for free how to do it.
- Always check your future partner in the official register of their country (see our Guides).
Be careful: these are public services. If someone sells them to you, claiming to be "official", be wary and read our guide on scams (Guides section). Passerelle France-Asie has no commercial link with these bodies and receives nothing.
Sources: the official websites quoted on this page. Checked on 13 October 2026. Conditions can change: always check the official website.