Not very likely. Hong Kong was wilderness when the British gained it. So were Qingdao, Dalian, and Weihai when their respective European powers gained them. Even Shanghai was just a small town when it was opened up to trade. BY contrast Guangzhou was the largest city on the south coast.
Besides, the French already gained a concession at Guangzhouwan, which was also a backwater (though by contrast to the other European concessions it never expanded into anything major).