On January 9, 2018, President Xi Jinping held talks with President Emmanuel Macron of France at the Great Hall of the People. The two heads of state agreed to adhere to the friendly tradition, and push forward the close and ever-lasting China-France comprehensive strategic partnership for stable and long-term development.
Xi Jinping pointed out that President Emmanuel Macron is the first foreign head of state to visit China in 2018, as well as the first head of state of a European country to visit China after the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). China-France relations enjoy unique history and rich connotation. In recent years, bilateral relations have constantly maintained high-level development, becoming more mature, stable and vigorous. The relations between the two countries stand at a new starting point. The Chinese side is willing to, together with the French side, enhance contacts and deepen mutual trust as well as bilateral cooperation, so as to inject new impetus into the development of China-France comprehensive strategic partnership.
Xi Jinping stressed that to promote better and faster development of China-France relations in the new period, the two countries should conduct close and in-depth communication and exchanges, give full play to the political leading role of the head of state diplomacy in bilateral relations, and support the enhancement of exchanges at all levels between the governments, legislative bodies, political parties, militaries and other departments of the two countries. Both sides should also give full play to the planning and coordination role of various bilateral dialogue mechanisms. The two countries should earnestly accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, and properly handle differences, in order to make sure bilateral relations always develop steadily on the right track. Both sides should vigorously deepen strategic cooperation in nuclear energy, aviation and aerospace and other traditional areas, constantly nurture new growth points of cooperation, and speed up the advancement of cooperation in emerging areas including agriculture and food, medical services and health, urban sustainable development, green manufacturing and finance. Both sides should continue pushing forward the overall alignment between Made in China 2025 and France's Industry of the Future plan, enhance cooperation in innovation, and better achieve advantage complementarities and common development in such areas as digital economy, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing industry. The two countries should seize new opportunities created by the "Belt and Road" initiative, and carry out practical cooperation within the "Belt and Road" framework, in order to jointly promote the prosperity of Eurasia. Both sides should mobilize more forces to actively participate in China-France cooperation, and constantly promote regional cooperation for in-depth and solid development. The two sides should earnestly advance people-to-people and cultural exchanges, promote long-term cooperation and mechanism building in various fields, and take the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics as opportunities to deepen bilateral cooperation in sports and enhance exchanges and cooperation in tourism, youth and other fields.
Xi Jinping pointed out that as permanent members of the UN Security Council and major countries with important international influence, both China and France should well fulfill the special responsibilities they shoulder, and enhance international cooperation in an all-round manner. Both sides should jointly uphold and safeguard multilateralism, intensify cooperation within the UN, the G20 and other multilateral frameworks, and join hands to build a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation. Both sides should adhere to the global governance concept featuring extensive consultation, joint construction and shared benefits, boost global governance reform, build an open world economy, and oppose all forms of protectionism, so as to push forward economic globalization to develop toward a more open, inclusive, universally beneficial, balanced and win-win direction. Both countries should stick to peacefully solving disputes through dialogue, actively promote the settlement of international and regional hotspot issues, and cope with climate change, terrorism, cyber security and other global challenges through cooperation, so as to safeguard world peace and stability as well as build a community with a shared future for mankind hand in hand.
Emmanuel Macron expressed that he is very glad to come to China for his first visit in 2018 and become the first head of state of a European Union (EU) country to visit China after the 19th CPC National Congress, which fully reflects the importance of France-China relations to both sides. France-China relations are of great significance. As permanent members of the UN Security Council, both countries shoulder major responsibilities for international collective security. Sharing similar ideas in multilateral affairs, France and China have maintained close communication and coordination, and carried out sound cooperation on such major issues as coping with climate change and promoting stable development of globalization. France attaches importance to strengthening bilateral cooperation under the "Belt and Road" framework, and believes that is of high strategic significance. It is hoped that, through this visit, both sides could establish closer communication and dialogue at high level and in various fields, enhance bilateral economic contacts and cooperation in aviation and aerospace, nuclear energy and other important areas, and strengthen educational and cultural exchanges, so as to jointly write a new chapter for France-China cooperation. At present, the EU is facing new development, and France stands ready to actively promote EU-China cooperation for constant and forward-looking development.
Xi Jinping pointed out that China firmly supports the European integration, and stands ready to continuously align its strategy with the European side, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and join hands to promote the construction of four major China-EU partnerships featuring peace, growth, reform and civilization, in a bid to push forward China-Europe comprehensive strategic partnership for new and greater development. The Chinese side welcomes the European side to actively participate in the "Belt and Road" construction.
After their talks, the two heads of state jointly met with representatives of entrepreneurs who attended the first meeting of the Chinese-French council of entrepreneurs, and made speeches respectively. Xi Jinping pointed out in his speech that the Chinese economy is still a major powerhouse and stabilizer of global economic growth. China would continue implementing the concept of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development, stick to the basic state policy of opening-up, adhere to high-quality development, and develop an open economy at a higher level. China stands ready to, together with France and Europe, uphold the concept of mutual understanding and win-win cooperation, stick to the general direction of two-way opening-up, and join hands to improve the global economic governance system which takes opening-up as orientation, cooperation as impetus and sharing as goal.
The two heads of state also jointly attended the inauguration ceremony marking the first completion of a European advanced pressurized water reactor of the Taishan nuclear power plant, and witnessed the signing of a bilateral memorandum of understanding on the establishment of the Chinese-French council of entrepreneurs, as well as the signing of bilateral cooperative documents covering national park system building, nuclear energy, space technology, professional resources exchange, environmental protection, finance, health, aviation, agriculture, elderly care, culture, education, commerce and other fields.
After the signing ceremony, the two heads of state also jointly met Chinese and foreign journalists.
Prior to the talks, Xi Jinping held a welcoming ceremony for Emmanuel Macron at the North Hall of the Great Hall of the People. President Xi Jinping's wife, Mme. Peng Liyuan, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and State Councilor Yang Jiechi, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Chen Zhu, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Lin Wenyi and others were present.
