Visiting Chinese Vice-President Hu Jintao met with French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin yesterday after meeting with French President Jacques Chirac on Monday.
On Monday evening when meeting with Chirac, Hu said he is satisfied with the positive trend of comprehensive development of the Sino-French relations.
"Our exchanges and co-operation keep expanding in fields such as economics and trade, science and technology, and education and culture. And our bilateral trade volume keeps growing," said Hu.
Leaders of China and France have maintained close contacts and a hot line between the heads of state will be opened soon, he added.
On the international situation, Hu said China and France share not only similar or the same views but also a common interest in many important international issues.
He added that both sides advocate multipolarity and wish to see the diversity of civilizations preserved.
"China is willing to reinforce consultation with France on important and strategic international issues such as multipolarization, globalization, and the fight against terrorism and international crime," said Hu.
For his part, Chirac congratulated China for its success in hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in Shanghai last month.
He said French-Chinese relations are developing smoothly, but great potential still exists for improvement.
"France attaches importance to French-Chinese relations and is willing to strengthen consultation with China in the wake of the new international situation," said Chirac.
On Monday Hu also met with Francois Hollande, president of the French Socialist Party to discuss important world issues and Sino-French relations.
Hu, who arrived in France on Thursday for a five-day visit, met with Michel Alliot-Marie, chairwoman of the Rally for the Republic - a major right-wing party in France - on Monday morning. He also met with a delegation of French entrepreneurs on Monday.
France is the third leg of Hu's five-nation visit, which has already taken him to Russia and Britain.
(Xinhua News Agency November 7, 2001)
