Calling upholding multilateralism an imminent ask, the foreign ministers of China and France also said their two countries have to go against the rising trend of unilateralism around the world, as they met on Saturday.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed the importance of multilateralism to his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, calling it essential to most countries' well-being, especially less developed countries.

Without multilateralism, the international order set following the end of the World War II would be severely damaged and that could be devastating to these countries, Wang said, adding this was the consensus among other European countries he met with on his recent trip. 

Wang said that China and France, as major countries, should actively promote the idea and actions of multilateralism internationally.

Paris is the fourth stop on Wang's European tour. He's paid visits to Italy, the Netherlands and Norway. And he will travel to Germany on Sunday. 

Wang said that China attaches great importance to France and is willing to work with France to vigorously develop bilateral relations as well as advance China-Europe cooperation to more effectively safeguard multilateralism.

China and France should exemplify major power cooperation by engaging in more cooperation with other parties around fighting the pandemic, as well as development efforts.

Wang also called for strengthening China-Europe cooperation to safeguarding multilateralism and free trade as he pointed out that there is no fundamental conflict of interests between China and Europe, and their common interests far outweigh any differences.

Wang met with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday, where talks focused on investment, trade and the coronavirus. Both sides said they stand ready to promote bilateral cooperation. 

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For his part, Le Drian said that China and France have close bilateral ties while their mutual cooperation also shows a positive developing trend.

He said that France is willing to deepen cooperation with China in various areas including artificial intelligence, electric cars, clean energy and agriculture.

France will also cooperate with China on COVID-19 vaccine research and development and make sure the vaccine will be universally available once it's developed and approved, Le Drian added.

The French foreign minister said that France attaches great importance to China-Europe relations and is willing to work with China to step up political exchanges between China and Europe as well as facilitate their investment talks.

Wang also met the President of the Constitutional Council of France Laurent Fabius on Saturday, calling for efforts to deepen mutual trust and resume normal exchanges in the post-COVID-19 era.

Under regular epidemic prevention and control, Wang said China and France should further deepen strategic mutual trust, orderly resume exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and explore new areas of cooperation to boost global economic recovery. 

Wang said solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapons to overcome COVID-19, and China is ready to work with the French side to promote the unity of the international community to fight the epidemic and help African countries access vaccines affordably once they are available. 

Echoing Wang, Fabius said France, the EU and China, as the defenders of multilateralism in international order, should set the tone for multilateralism and lead the international society to strengthen cooperation in areas such as vaccine research and climate change. 

(Cover: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (2nd L) and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (2nd R) meet in Paris, France, August 29, 2020. /Chinese Foreign Ministry)