Beijing: Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday appealed to France to work with China to resist unilateralism, strengthen cooperation, and activate the two countries' complementary advantages for economic development. This call was made during talks with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in the Chinese capital.
According to Kuwait News Agency, Li emphasized that both Beijing and Paris are strong advocates of free trade and multilateralism. He highlighted that the two nations are mature, responsible, and independent countries with closely intertwined economic interests. Li underscored the importance of enhancing communication and coordination to foster more stability and certainty for both countries' development and the world at large, considering France an important partner.
Premier Li expressed Beijing's readiness to boost cooperation with Paris in conventional sectors such as aviation, space, and nuclear energy, while also exploring collaboration in emerging and future industries like the digital economy, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology. He conveyed China's hope that France would facilitate a fair, equitable, and predictable development environment for Chinese enterprises investing in the country.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Barrot noted that France and China, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, share the significant responsibility of safeguarding multilateralism. He affirmed France's commitment to strategic independence and opposition to trade protectionism and trade wars. Barrot pointed out that his country supports the EU and China in strengthening dialogue and cooperation in economic and trade fields to address trade disputes properly.
Barrot also expressed France's desire to enhance high-level cooperation with China and tackle global challenges such as climate change. In a related development, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated at a press conference after meeting with Barrot that the two countries should oppose bloc confrontation through dialogue and coordination. This effort aims to build a more just and rational system of global governance, Wang noted.