HONG KONG, April 15 (Xinhua) -- French Secretary of State for Transport Dominique Bussereau led a port industry delegation to Hong Kong on Wednesday, on a business promotion trip that was also expected to take him to Seoul and Shanghai.

    Speaking after attending a seminar in Hong Kong, Bussereau said he has led the delegation, which included top managers of ports Marseilles and Le Havre, to try and convince customers in Asia to continue doing business with the French ports.

    France has been trying to streamline port organization and invest in infrastructural projects to deal with impact of the financial crisis. The focus was on preparing the industry for further growth and strength once the crisis is over, Bussereau said.

    Bussereau said he was "not worried" about the future of the port industry, although the senior managers of the two ports Marseilles and Le Havre admitted there had been significant decreases in their businesses over last two or three months.

    The French delegation arrived in Hong Kong on Monday and visited local port operator Hutchison, which built on hopes of important further cooperation, Bussereau said.

    Bussereau was expected to fly to South Korean capital Seoul on Wednesday afternoon, before heading to Shanghai on the last leg of his Asian trip.