Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo is visiting the French cities of Lyon, Bordeaux and Marseilles to promote cooperation and exchanges between the Chinese and French regions.

Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, met Jean-Jack Queyranne, president of the Rhone-Alpes Regional Council, on Sunday.

"The purpose of my visit is to further inter-regional development, enhance the people-to-people friendship and broaden the social and civil basis for state-to-state relations," Wu said in Lyon, the largest city in Rhone-Alpes region.

Later on Sunday, Wu also met Alain Juppe, mayor of Bordeaux city known for its quality wines.

Wu is on an eight-day official goodwill visit to France. Following meetings with the French national leaders, the top Chinese legislator has been meeting extensively with leaders of regional governments and parliaments outside Paris.

He will also visit Marseilles on Tuesday.

Wu encouraged the Rhone-Alpes region to expand exchanges and cooperation with China, saying that some Chinese revolutionary leaders of the old generation, including Deng Xiaoping, were once pursuing studies there.

Nowadays some Chinese cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Suzhou have successful cooperation with the French region, Wu said.

France is now China's fourth largest trading partner within the EU, and China is France's biggest trading partner in Asia. Bilateral trade in the first five months of 2010 grew 40 percent year on year to 17.2 billion U.S. dollars.

The Chinese leader noted that Rhone-Alpes is the leading energy business hub and the second largest economic region in France.

Rhone-Alpes has strength in traditional sectors such as the metal industry, machine-building, textiles and chemical industry. It is also growing fast in bioengineering, nanotechnology and green economy, Wu said.

Queyranne, the regional parliamentary leader, said Wu's visit would promote the relations between the region and China, saying it would boost bilateral cooperation at both regional and national levels.

Wu showed great interest in the experience and expertise of the Rhone-Alpes region in ecological and environmental protection, energy conservation and emission reduction.

He urged the French region to boost exchanges and cooperation with China in urban planning and administration.

China is adjusting its economic structure, upgrading its industries and modifying its growth mode, creating new opportunities to boost the cooperation between Rhone-Alpes and China, Wu said.