China, France pledge to boost relations

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Wednesday met his French counterpart, Laurent Fabius, with both sides vowing to continue to push forward bilateral ties.

Relations between China and France are currently at an important stage, Wang said during the meeting on the sidelines of a UN-backed international conference on the Syrian crisis in the Swiss lakeside city of Montreux.

The two countries will hold a series of celebrations to mark the upcoming 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, he said, adding that preparations for important reciprocal visits are underway.

Concerted efforts should be made to embody the strategic importance and particularity of China-France relations, he said.

Wang called on China and France to further determine the direction and plans for the future development of their relations, saying the two countries should continue to enrich the strategic partnership and lift bilateral ties to a new high.

For his part, Fabius expressed his total agreement with Wang's positive evaluation of France-China relations.

He said that through high-level reciprocal visits and celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, France expects to deepen its pragmatic cooperation with China in a wide range of fields like trade, economy and nuclear energy.

The two ministers also exchanged views on such issues as the Syrian crisis, the Iranian nuclear program and China-Japan relations.

They agreed that strategic consultations and cooperation should be strengthened to jointly maintain world and regional peace and stability, and safeguard the fruits of the victory of World War II and the post-war international order.