BEIJING, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called on his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to carry forward the traditional China-France friendship and push the relations to a new level.
As the year 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations, both sides should pass the baton of history, stick to the original intention in establishing the diplomatic relations, carry forward the traditional friendship and push the China-France relations to a new level, Xi said during a telephone conversation with Macron.
In the phone talks, Xi pointed out that since Macron's successful visit to China in April this year, China-France exchanges at all levels have resumed rapidly, and bilateral cooperation in various fields has made solid progress and achieved fruitful results.
China is ready to maintain high-level exchanges with France, make a success the next meeting of the China-France high-level dialogue mechanism on people-to-people exchanges, push for new progress in bilateral cooperation in such areas as education, culture and scientific research, and promote friendly exchanges between the two peoples, Xi said.
Applauding France's active participation in the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and the sixth China International Import Expo, Xi said China is glad to see the entry of an increasing number of French products into the Chinese market and welcomes more investment of French enterprises in China.
China hopes France could provide a fair and non-discriminatory business environment for the investment of Chinese enterprises in France, he added.
Xi said China is ready to strengthen cooperation with France in the United Nations and other multilateral institutions.
Noting that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-European Union (EU) comprehensive strategic partnership, Xi said China and the EU should remain partners for mutually beneficial cooperation in a volatile and intertwined world.
It is hoped that France will play a constructive role in promoting the positive development of China-EU relations, he said.
Highlighting that China and France have maintained sound cooperation on climate change, Xi said the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Dubai will take stock of the Paris Agreement for the first time, review and assess the progress of its implementation, and guide the future process of global climate governance.
The institutional framework of the Paris Agreement, in particular the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and nationally determined contributions, should be upheld, he said.
China stands ready to work with France in sending a strong signal of jointly addressing the issue of climate change, so as to prompt the success of the COP28, he added. ■
