The company reported global revenue of roughly 11.12 billion euro ($14.58 billion) for the first three quarters of this year, showing a 1.3 overall growth year-on-year amid Europe’s economic turmoil. It, meanwhile, saw a 10 percent organic growth in Asia Pacific, in which the Chinese market is a major driving force.

The company’s total income in China reached more than 1 billion euro in China in 2011. Around 80 percent of Suez Environnement’s China business is water-related.

Chaussade said it’s a natural process to move from conventional water supply to higher end water treatment for his company’s business in China, especially when there is more competition in lower-end urban water supply.

The acute water shortage driven by the scarce water resources and the growing population makes China an ideal market for desalination.

A report released by research firm Global Water Intelligence in 2011 shows that China is expected to become the second largest desalination market in the world after Saudi Arabia by 2016.

“If you want to know the potential of China’s desalination market. I have two figures for you. China, which presents 21 percent of the world’s population, has only 7 percent of water resource. The situation speaks for itself,” Chaussade said.

Seawater desalination, according to him, is one part of complex water management system. “A lot of cities combine water transfer projects, recycling water and more rational consumption with desalination technology together to secure the access to drinking water in case of severe water shortage,” he said.

Thierry Mallet, Suez Environnement’s senior executive vice president in charge of international business, said the company is not one of the first comers in China’s desalination market but it “definitely wants to be there”.

“One important thing about Suez Environnement is that we are not always trying to be the biggest. We want to provide the right solution in the right place rather than going first,” Mallet said.

“Finding the right project and be sure we are competitive is our challenge once entering Chinese market,” he said.

Suez Environnement, according to Mallet, has already started to sourcedesalination equipments from China, which is able to nurture local providers and local partners to help the company to be more competitive once it enters Chinese market.

Contact the writer at mengjing@chinadaily.com.cn