France would welcome China's electric vehicle giant BYD if the company should it decide wanted to open a factory in France, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Monday.

"France welcomes all industrial projects. BYD and the Chinese auto industry are very welcome in France," Le Maire said at a meeting with car sector executives.

Le Maire spoke as China's President Xi Jinping was on a rare state visit in Paris.

(Reporting by Gilles Guillaume, writing by Tassilo Hummel, Editing by GV De Clercq)