Politics
13:06, 25-Jun-2018
Xi Jinping meets French PM, calls for better China-France ties
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Chinese President Xi Jinping met visiting French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe in Beijing on Monday.
Xi hailed the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership and called on more efforts in building trust and deepening cooperation.
Philippe is on a four-day visit to China, which began on Friday.
Xi said China appreciates France's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative and France's role in bridging China and the EU in terms of strategic development.
The two countries should uphold multilateralism and defend international norms, he said.
On his side, Philippe said that French President Emmanuel Macron's successful visit to China at the beginning of this year once again highlighted the importance of strategic cooperation between the two nations.
China has made both long-term planning and down-to-earth achievements, and its achievements are admirable, he added.
Philippe also stressed that France is willing to continue to deepen bilateral economic and trade exchanges, and promote strategic cooperation in civil nuclear energy, aerospace and other fields with China.
He also noted that the Belt and Road Initiative is "a vision of cooperation for the future", which is in the interest of all the mankind.
Phillippe visited Tsinghua University on Sunday. He told students that France is committed to preserving multilateral trading system, and that the two countries must work together to build "strong multilateralism" in a context of protectionism and anti-globalization.