Xi Jinping and French President Macron jointly met with reporters

On the afternoon of May 6, local time, President Xi Jinping and French President Macron jointly met with reporters after their talks at the Elysée Palace in Paris. Photo by reporter Yin Bogu

Paris, May 6 (Xinhua) On the afternoon of May 6, local time, President Xi Jinping and French President Macron jointly met with reporters after their talks at the Elysée Palace in Paris.

Xi Jinping pointed out that he was very pleased to be invited by President Macron to pay another state visit to France on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. I had a fruitful meeting with President Macron. We agreed that China-France relations have precious history, unique value and important mission. Both sides should pass on the baton of history, carry forward the spirit of establishing diplomatic relations between China and France and give it new connotations of the times, and start a new journey of China-France relations in the next 60 years. .

On the afternoon of May 6, local time, President Xi Jinping and French President Macron jointly met with reporters after their talks at the Elysée Palace in Paris. Photo by reporter Li Xueren

The first is to consolidate the strategic stability of bilateral relations. I welcome President Macron to visit China again. China and France reiterated that they respect each other's core interests and will make good use of multi-level and multi-dimensional communication channels between the two countries to communicate and coordinate policy positions in a timely manner.

The second is to tap into the vast potential of mutually beneficial cooperation. The two sides will promote an upward balance in bilateral trade, expand cooperation in agriculture, food, finance and other fields, promote joint R&D and innovation in aerospace, civil nuclear energy and other fields, strengthen the docking of development strategies, and expand green energy, intelligent manufacturing, biomedicine, artificial intelligence, third-party market and other emerging areas. China has fully liberalized manufacturing access and will accelerate market access in telecommunications, medical and other service industries. We encourage the expansion of two-way investment and are committed to providing a good business environment for companies from other countries. During this visit, the two sides signed 18 inter-departmental cooperation agreements, covering aviation, agriculture, humanities, green development, small and medium-sized enterprise cooperation and other fields.

The third is to speed up the "two-way" people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Take the China-France Culture and Tourism Year as an opportunity to promote cooperation in education, sports, film and television, youth, and local areas. China supports France in successfully hosting the Paris Olympics and welcomes more French friends to China. China has decided to extend the visa-free policy for short-term visits to China for citizens of 12 countries including France until the end of 2025, and supports the opening of direct flights from Shanghai to Marseille. The Chinese Fujian Shipbuilding School that French people participated in the construction of 150 years ago and the work-study movement in France at the beginning of the last century are both good stories in the history of educational exchanges between the two countries. We welcome France to serve as the guest country of this year's China International Education Annual Conference, and we will promote the number of French students studying in China to exceed 10,000 in the next three years and the scale of European youth exchanges in China to double.

The fourth is to build greater consensus on global cooperation. The two sides will deepen cooperation in areas such as climate change and biodiversity, and strengthen dialogue in areas such as global governance of artificial intelligence and reform of the international financial system. China supports France in hosting the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference and encourages the pairing of national parks and nature reserves in the two countries.

Xi Jinping pointed out that the world today is very uneven. As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a responsible major country, China is willing to work with France to take the Paris Olympics as an opportunity to advocate a global ceasefire and cessation of war during the Games.

Regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the tragedy that has been postponed to this day is a test of human conscience. The international community must take action. We call for the immediate realization of a comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza, support for Palestine to become a full member of the United Nations, support for the restoration of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian nation, restart the "two-state solution", and achieve lasting peace in the Middle East.

Regarding the Ukraine crisis, China has stated its position many times. China is neither the creator of the crisis nor a party or participant. However, we have not watched from the other side but have been playing an active role in achieving peace. The Chinese government’s special representative for Eurasian affairs has launched the third round of shuttle mediation. At the same time, we oppose using the Ukraine crisis to shift blame, smear third countries, and incite a "new cold war." History has repeatedly proven that any conflict can ultimately be resolved only through negotiation. We call on all parties to restart contact and dialogue and gradually accumulate mutual trust; support the timely convening of an international peace conference recognized by Russia and Ukraine, where all parties participate equally, and discuss all peace options fairly; and support the construction of a balanced, effective, and sustainable European security framework.

Xi Jinping pointed out that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of New China. After 75 years of arduous struggle, China's national appearance and people's lives have undergone earth-shaking changes, but one thing has never changed, and that is our peaceful and kind nature and broad and inclusive spirit. open-mindedness and pursuit of fairness and justice. It is rooted in the Chinese civilization of more than 5,000 years and grows deep in the souls of the Chinese people. China is willing to work with countries around the world, including France, to develop friendly and cooperative relations on the basis of mutual respect, move forward hand in hand, share hardships, and create a future together.