China backs France in terrorism fight

China firmly supports France, still reeling from the Paris terror attacks, in its fight against terrorism and in safeguarding its national security, President Xi Jinping told French Prime Minister Manuel Valls in Beijing on Friday.

Valls, on his first visit to China since he took office in March, called for closer cooperation with China in dealing with terrorism and curbing the flow of extremists.

The visit followed the deadly Jan 7 to 9 attacks on staff members at Charlie Hebdo, a satirical weekly publication, and on a supermarket. Seventeen people were killed. China also experienced a number of terror attacks in 2014.