France welcomes Chinese tourists

France would like to welcome as many Chinese tourists as possible, said French Ambassador to China Sylvie Bermann in an interview in anticipation of President Xi Jinping's visit to her country Wednesday.

"Our foreign minister recently said we want to receive 5 million Chinese visitors by 2020. Last year we already received 1.6 million. We took measures to further reinforce security and facilitate visa delivery issues," said the ambassador.

French authorities have announced a reduction of the duration for visa application processes for Chinese applicants in order to attract more of the country's tourists.