Talks highlight deepening of cooperation

The latest China-France Strategic Dialogue has reinforced a long-standing channel for high-level communication and reaffirmed a shared commitment to independence and cooperation at a time of global uncertainty, experts said.

Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, participated in the 28th round of the dialogue with the French President's Diplomatic Adviser Emmanuel Bonne on Saturday in Datong, North China's Shanxi province.

The two sides pledged to maintain close high-level exchanges, deepen cooperation in areas such as aerospace and nuclear energy, and broaden cooperation in emerging areas including advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence, as well as strengthen people-to-people ties.

Jian Junbo, director of Fudan University's Center for China-Europe Relations in Shanghai, said the annual dialogue provides continuity in bilateral communication.

France's ambition to play a major role in international affairs also gives its strategic engagement with China particular significance, he said.

The choice of Datong connected the latest discussions with an earlier chapter in bilateral relations. Georges Pompidou, the first French president to visit China, traveled to the city in 1973, making it his first stop after Beijing, accompanied by then Chinese premier Zhou Enlai.

Jin Ling, director of the China Institute of International Studies' Department for Global Governance and International Organizations Studies in Beijing, said that holding the dialogue in Datong reflected a strategic choice by both sides, carrying political symbolism and cultural significance.

It embodied the spirit that underpinned the establishment of China-France diplomatic relations — a legacy that remains a distinctive strength of ties and offers an important example for relations between major countries, she said.

China and France established diplomatic relations during the Cold War, breaking through ideological barriers and divisions between the Eastern and Western blocs, Jin said.

With the world again at crossroads, carrying that spirit forward is of renewed strategic significance, she said, adding that it can help shape whether countries pursue cooperation or confrontation, and whether the world slides into a new era of rival blocs.

Bonne, the diplomatic adviser, who is visiting China from Friday to Tuesday, recalled Pompidou's visit as a memorable chapter in bilateral relations. France is willing to carry forward the long-standing friendship and continue developing a comprehensive strategic partnership based on mutual respect and trust, he said.

Wang, who is also China's foreign minister, said the China-France Strategic Dialogue was the first high-level strategic consultation mechanism China established with a major Western country, noting its role in supporting diplomacy between the heads of state and consolidating political trust.

The latest meeting followed French President Emmanuel Macron's fourth state visit to China in December last year. During that visit, the two leaders reached important common understandings on strengthening strategic communication, maintaining openness and cooperation, and jointly upholding multilateralism.

Wang expressed the hope that France would provide policy support and a favorable environment for Chinese companies investing in the country. Bonne said that France would continue to offer Chinese investors a predictable business environment.

On the Taiwan question, Wang urged France to honor its commitment to the one-China principle and safeguard the political foundation of bilateral relations. Bonne reaffirmed that commitment, saying that France's position would not change.

Wang said that China and France, as major countries committed to independence and multilateralism, should strengthen communication within the United Nations framework and work toward a more just and equitable global governance system.

Bonne expressed France's willingness to strengthen multilateral cooperation with China to help the international community address global crises and achieve common development.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis and the situation in the Middle East, agreeing to maintain communication and coordination on international affairs.

The dialogue followed the latest trade and investment consultations between China and the European Union in Beijing on Thursday and Friday, with both sides welcoming the progress made.

Speaking to Bonne, Wang stressed that trust is a defining feature of China-EU relations and the foundation on which the ties rest, while economic and trade differences are temporary.

The two sides should remain committed to their partnership and keep cooperation as the keynote of their relations, putting trade issues in their proper places within the broader relationship, he said.

Bonne described the latest consultations as an important step in a positive direction, saying that Europe needs China for its development.