Dealing with Chinese President Jiang Zemin's France visit, a People's Daily's Lyon dispatch says that China and France all have a gorgeous and long-standing cultural tradition and the people of the two countries treasure very much their national independence.

　 Both countries as permanent members at the UN Security Council are accountable for maintaining world peace and security and take pushing ahead with a multi-polar world as their diplomatic strategic goal, it points out.

　 The dispatch notes that France first proposed dialogue on human rights when the West tried to interfere with China's internal affairs under a "human rights" signboard.

　This common view has led the two countries to play an increasingly vital part in settling international hot issues and Jiang's visit will widen the solid foundation of the China-France ties facing the 21st century, and at the same time will be in the interest of world peace and development, it adds.

　 It continues that President Jiang's visit coincides with the 35th anniversary of the forging of the China-France diplomatic relations

　and is at the turn of the century. So this visit has a far-reaching significance in the annals of the China-France relations.

　 It notes that in recent years, mutual visits by high-ranking officials of the two countries have deepened understanding and consensus among the leaders of the two countries on a series of vital international issues and also given an impetus to exchanges and cooperation in the economic, trade, scientech and cultural fields.

　The dispatch devotes much space to the warm welcome accorded President Jiang by French President Jacques Chirac and Lyon Mayor Raymond Barre.