Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser to the French president, in Beijing on Thursday, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Han said China is willing to work with France to fully implement the important consensus reached between their heads of state, adhere to independent policies, enhance exchanges and mutual trust, promote pragmatic cooperation with an open mindset, and strengthen multilateral collaboration, per Xinhua.
He expressed the hope that France will play a constructive role in promoting the sound development of relations between China and the EU.
Bonne said France is willing to maintain close high-level exchanges with China, deepen bilateral cooperation and multilateral coordination, and work with China to address global challenges, expressing readiness to actively promote EU-China dialogue and cooperation, according to the media report.
On Wednesday, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi held the 27th China-France Strategic Dialogue in Hangzhou with Diplomatic Adviser to the French President Emmanuel Bonne. The two sides conducted friendly and in-depth communication on implementing the important common understandings reached between the two heads of state and deepening China-France strategic cooperation, and achieved broad consensus, according to a readout released by Chinese foreign ministry.
Wang Yi said that China is ready to strengthen high-level exchanges with France, deepen strategic mutual trust, and promote all-round cooperation. He expressed the hope and belief that France will strictly abide by the one-China principle, providing a strong political guarantee for bilateral relations. Against the backdrop of the current shocks to the global economic order, bilateral trade and investment between China and France have both maintained upward trends, reflecting the strong resilience and wide space of practical cooperation between China and France.
Over the 50 years since China and the EU established diplomatic relations, the two sides have helped each other succeed and developed together. China and Europe do not have geopolitical conflicts or clashes of fundamental interests, Wang said, noting that China-EU economic and trade relations are complementary and mutually beneficial in nature. The underlying tone of China-EU relations should be cooperation, and their correct positioning should be as partners.
Against the backdrop of growing global geopolitical instability, closer strategic dialogue between China and France not only injects new direction and momentum into their bilateral relationship but also contributes to broader international stability, Dong Yifan, associate research fellow of Beijing Language and Culture University’s Academy of International and Regional Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday. It also reflects France’s concrete role as a constructive bridge in China-Europe relations, Dong noted.
During the dialogue, Bonne said France adheres to a tradition of independent diplomacy and remains firmly committed to the one-China policy, with no change whatsoever. France looks forward to preparing for the next stage of high-level exchanges with China and in the spirit of equality and mutual benefit, strengthening pragmatic cooperation in economy and trade, civil nuclear energy, science and technology, new energy, and other fields.
The French side welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest in France and is willing to provide a safe and predictable business environment. France opposes trade wars and bloc confrontation, and is willing to maintain close strategic coordination with China to jointly address global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity, and artificial intelligence, Bonne said.
In recent years, China and France have continued to strengthen their willingness to cooperate in both bilateral and bilateral areas, including climate change, artificial intelligence, and beyond, Dong noted.
“This round of strategic dialogue and high-level exchanges has further consolidated the policy alignment between the two sides and, through institutionalized communication and top-level design, promoted the practical implementation of cooperation in various fields,” he said.
The Chinese expert also noted that this dialogue has added greater certainty, stability, and constructiveness to China-France relations and made new contributions to the overall development of China-Europe relations.
