Foreign minister praises France's stand on one-China policy

The one-China policy is the premise and foundation for China's diplomatic ties with other countries, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday.

Wang made the remarks while talking over the phone with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.

Wang expressed gratitude toward Ayrault's stance on the one-China policy after the challenging remarks of US president-elect Donald Trump.

Taiwan question is related to China's national territory sovereignty, Wang said. China deems France as an important strategic cooperative partner, and it would like to respect each other's core interests with France, he said.

Ayrault said that the one-China principle is important for regional and international peace and stability, and France would like to pay high attention to the Taiwan question.

The France-China relationship is based on mutual trust and mutual benefits, he added. Ayrault told TV channel France 2 earlier that Trump's approach to China was "not very clever". He warned the US president-elect not to threaten or lecture Beijing as "we do not talk like that to a partner".

Trump said over the weekend that he didn't feel "bound by a one-China policy" after breaking four decades of diplomatic precedent by talking on the phone with Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen on Dec 2.

Contact the writer at anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn