French President Macron meets with senior Chinese diplomat

PARIS, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron met here on Wednesday with Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings to Macron, before briefing him the significance of the 20th CPC National Congress.

Noting that China always regards France as a priority partner of cooperation, Wang has said that China is willing to further tighten high-level exchanges with France, to open up new prospects for Sino-French relations, to inject new impetus into the development of China-EU relations, and to make new contributions in promoting international cooperation and tackling global challenges.

China and France helped each other in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Wang said, adding that as China's economy has recovered rapidly and society has returned to normal, China stands ready to fully restart exchanges with France in various fields.

Macron asked Wang to convey his cordial greetings to President Xi Jinping and congratulated on the success of the 20th CPC National Congress.

Macron said that he looked forward to meeting with President Xi Jinping to renew friendship, promote cooperation, and create a better future.

Noting that France attaches great importance to its relationship with China, Macron stressed that it was of great significance to strengthen strategic dialogue between the two countries.

In the face of the increasingly complicated international situation, France and China should work together to maintain stability and balance, uphold multilateralism, oppose bloc confrontations, and avoid the world being broken apart, Macron said.

France hoped to strengthen bilateral cooperation with China in areas such as climate change, biodiversity and marine environment protection, Macron added.

The two also exchanged views on the Ukraine issue.

Wang emphasized that China had adopted an objective and impartial attitude and was always committed to promoting peace talks.

China attached importance to France's role as an independent major country, and stood ready to cooperate with the international community, including France, to promote a path of political solution, and reach a ceasefire at an early date, Wang noted.

On Wednesday, Wang also met with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna.

Wang Yi (L), a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, shakes hands with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna during their meeting in Paris, France, on Feb. 15, 2023. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)