The Bilateral relations between China and France are growing
well, like a tree full of life, Premier Wen Jiabao said in Beijing
Thursday when meeting visiting French President Jacques Chirac.
Wen acknowledged that France was the first Western country to
forge diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level with China, and
the first in the world to establish an all-round strategic
partnership, hold strategic dialogue and host reciprocal culture
years with China.
"These are proofs of the French leader's foresight and
sagacity", Wen noted.
Wen said China and France have complementary economies with a
huge potential for cooperation, saying that China will promote
cooperation in the fields of nuclear energy, aerospace and
aviation, railways, financial service and environmental
protection.
China also encourages reciprocal investment and better
intellectual property protection in order to create a better
environment for French business to invest in China, Wen said.
Echoing Wen's views, Chirac said France and China share common
interests and a solid foundation for bilateral cooperation.
France has always valued its ties with China, Chirac noted.
He said the French side hopes to expand trade cooperation with
China and is willing to create good opportunities in fields such as
nuclear power, aviation and railways.
Chirac agreed with China's proposals to further cooperation
among the business communities of the two countries.
Wen spoke positively about China-EU relations, suggesting that
the two sides should handle bilateral relations and address
concerns from a broader perspective.
China and the European Union (EU) should utilize the trade
cooperation mechanism to the full and properly resolve trade
disputes according to WTO rules and through equal dialogue and
consultation, so as to sustain the long-term development of
China-EU and China-France ties, Wen stressed.
Chirac, who arrived here on Wednesday afternoon on a four-day
state visit, also met with Wu Bangguo, Chinese top legislator, on
Thursday afternoon.
Wu, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's
Congress (NPC), said the China-France all-round strategic
partnership required support and participation from the two
parliaments.
The NPC is willing to improve the parliamentary exchange
mechanism to cement friendly cooperation in various fields and at
various levels, Wu said.
Chirac said the French side attaches importance to bilateral
parliamentary exchanges and hopes to expand cooperation to the
cultural and humanitarian fields in order to increase mutual
understanding between the two peoples.
(Xinhua News Agency October 27, 2006)
