French foreign minister to visit China

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault will visit China from Saturday to Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the announcement in a daily news conference in Beijing, saying that Chinese leaders will meet Ayrault, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will have talks with him.

Ayrault will visit Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai, and will attend the opening ceremony of a fifth summit in Chengdu to enhance cooperation between regional governments of China and France, according to Lu.

Lu said both countries "attach great importance" to the second visit Ayrault will pay to China since he became French foreign minister, and he believes this visit will help bilateral ties to keep developing.

China-France ties are continuing to develop in a health and stable way, and the two countries have kept deepening political mutual trust and are making progress in cooperation in fields including nuclear energy, aviation and finance, he said.

The two have maintained good communication and collaboration over major international and regional hotspot issues, and have made an example in tackling climate change and improving global economic governance, said the spokesman.