Chinese, French FMs meet on ties

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with French Foreign Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna via video link on Monday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said that the China-France ties have withstood the test of changes and chaos, maintained overall stability, and showed a positive momentum of development.

China is willing to have closer high-level exchanges with France, deepen pragmatic cooperation in economy, trade, agriculture, and aviation, and promote greater development of the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership in the new year, Wang said.

He said that China is ready to strengthen strategic communication with France to inject new impetus into bilateral practical cooperation and make joint contributions to the sound development of China-EU relations, as well as world and regional peace and stability.

Wang stressed that China will continue to optimize and adjust COVID-19 prevention and control measures to provide more convenience for personnel exchanges between China and foreign countries.

"China's economic prospects are promising, and the super-large-scale market potential will be released faster to bring greater opportunities to other countries, including France," Wang said.

Colonna said France is ready to work with China to prepare for high-level exchanges in the next stage.

France appreciates China's new measures in coping with the pandemic and looks forward to reactivating cultural and people-to-people exchanges and gradually resuming normal personnel exchanges between the two sides, Colonna said, adding that France will continue to strengthen multilateral coordination with China to jointly tackle global challenges.