French media tom-toms closer ties with Beijing

Sino-French ties are back on track after it hit rock bottom last year - at least, that is the message the French media has conveyed over the past few weeks.

Jean-Pierre Raffarin, the pro-China former French prime minister, argued in a recent article that France should "play a key role" in promoting Sino-European ties.

The article - Furthering Sino-French Relations on the Basis of Mutual Respect - was published in an influential French foreign affairs magazine. Apart from the veteran politician's opinion piece, the French journal also highlighted changes in China's culture, society and economy in a 40-page special report, China: An Emerging World Power.