French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault lauded Tuesday the sound development of France-China relations, saying the bilateral ties are in a "very good" phase.

Ayrault made the remarks when meeting with visiting China's Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng.

Expressing his satisfaction over trade cooperation between the two countries, Ayrault pledged to uplift the trade volume, and enhance the bilateral cooperation between France and China on such fields as aerospace, nuclear energy, environmental protection and agriculture.

Ayrault welcomed Chinese investors to France, and said that France would actively push for the negotiation of an investment agreement between China and the European Union.

Gao, for his part, said both French President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Ayrault visited China in 2013 and it was unprecedented that France's heads of state and government traveled to China in the same year. That shows that the China-France ties are developing in a strategic, global and timely manner.

Gao stressed that the bilateral trade has kept a momentum of sound and rapid development, which becomes a propelling force and a cornerstone for the China-France ties.

On Monday, Gao and French Foreign Trade Minister Nicole Bricq co-hosted the 22nd Meeting of China-France Economic and Trade Joint Committee in Paris.?