Soft power

摘要

There is a lull before the renewed storm in the battle for Alstom, a French group whose turbines power generators around the world and whose high-speed trains sprint across the countryside. Too small to compete in a tough global market, Alstom had all but agreed to sell its energy operations to General Electric (ge), an American conglomerate with complementary interests. Fearing a loss of jobs, France's government encouraged Siemens, a German firm, to take a different tack, offering to swap its transport activities for Alstom's energy operations and turning the rivals into a pair of European champions. Siemens says it may see its way to making a firm offer by June 16 th. Meanwhile ge is in and out of the Ely-see palace, chatting with President Francois Hollande and his aides, improving its offer in the light of their concerns and, it seems, winning supporters.