Chinese FM holds phone talks with top EU diplomat

BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday held a phone conversation with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic counselor to French President Emmanuel Macron.

Wang said that not long ago, President Xi Jinping and President Macron held their first telephone conversation this year and reached new consensus on cooperation.

In the Beijing Winter Olympics, which has come to a successful conclusion, both Chinese and French athletes have delivered fine performances, he said, noting that China welcomes France to actively participate in the upcoming Winter Paralympics.

France is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a major country with a tradition of staying independent, Wang noted. China is willing to maintain close communication with the French side and jointly break new ground in bilateral relations so as to make new contributions to the healthy and stable development of China-EU relations.

For his part, Bonne said France has always attached great importance to the development of France-China relations and stands ready to strengthen high-level exchanges, enhance dialogue and deepen cooperation with China so as to jointly promote the vigorous development of bilateral relations.

The two sides exchanged views on the Ukraine issue, deeming it imperative to prompt the parties concerned to start diplomatic negotiations as soon as possible to ease tensions.

They also called for abandoning the mentality of bloc confrontation and seeking a solution that accommodates the concerns of all parties.