Chinese, French presidents meet in London

LONDON -- Chinese President Hu Jintao met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy here Wednesday night.

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy (L) meets Chinese President Hu Jintao in London April 1, 2009.  [Agencies]

"Our meeting today means a new starting point for the bilateral relations, and I hope the two sides work together to usher in a new phase in Chinese-French ties," Hu said at the start of his meeting with Sarkozy.

The two leaders were meeting ahead of a Group of 20 summit on the financial crisis, scheduled here for Thursday.

China and France said in a press communique issued Wednesday simultaneously by their foreign ministries that the two sides "attach great importance to China-France relations" and reiterated their adherence to the principle of non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

In the communique, France pledged not to support "Tibet independence" in any form.

• Shopping team headed for US tour
• China, Argentina to push for equitable financial system
• Vice premier calls on G20 to fight crisis unitedly
• China calls for increasing cooperation with EU
• Central bank urges int'l financial reform
• more

• Desperate world leaders meet on economic woes
• UK's Brown hopeful for G20, says more to be done
• British FM: G20 needs more than empty words
• UN urges G20 to back $1t aid for poor nations
• EU leaders agree to lend 75 billion euros to IMF
• more

• Hu at G20 and APEC
• China Statistics
• 2009 NPC and CPPCC
• Chinese Economy
• World Financial Crisis
• more