Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron jointly met with reporters

On the afternoon of May 6, local time, President Xi Jinping met with reporters after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yin Bogu

Xinhua News Agency, Paris, May 6 (Reporter Liu Hua Hao Weiwei) On the afternoon of May 6, local time, President Xi Jinping met with reporters after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris.

Xi Jinping pointed out that he is very pleased to pay another state visit to France at the invitation of President Macron on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. I had fruitful talks with President Macron. We unanimously believe that China-France relations have a precious history, unique value and important mission, and the two sides should pass on the baton of history, carry forward the spirit of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, give it a new connotation of the times, and start a new journey for the next 60 years of China-France relations.

On the afternoon of May 6, local time, President Xi Jinping met with reporters after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Xueren

We have decided to do the following things.

First, it is necessary to consolidate the strategic stability of bilateral relations. I welcome President Macron's visit to China. China and France reaffirm their mutual respect for each other's core interests, and will make good use of multi-level and multi-dimensional communication channels between the two countries to communicate and coordinate policy positions in a timely manner.

The second is to tap the broad potential of mutually beneficial cooperation. The two sides will promote the upward balance of bilateral trade, expand cooperation in agriculture, food, finance and other fields, promote joint R&D and innovation in aerospace, civil nuclear energy and other fields, strengthen the synergy of development strategies, and expand cooperation in emerging fields such as green energy, intelligent manufacturing, biomedicine, artificial intelligence, and third-party markets. China has fully liberalized access to the manufacturing industry and will accelerate market access for telecommunications, medical and other service industries. We encourage the expansion of two-way investment and are committed to providing a good business environment for enterprises in each other's countries. During the visit, the two sides signed 18 inter-departmental cooperation agreements, covering aviation, agriculture, people-to-people, green development, and cooperation with small and medium-sized enterprises.

The third is to speed up people-to-people exchanges. Take the Sino-French Year of Culture and Tourism as an opportunity to promote cooperation in education, sports, film and television, youth, and local governments. China supports France in hosting the Paris Olympic Games, welcomes more French friends to China, and decides to extend the visa-free policy for citizens of 12 countries including France to come to China until the end of 2025, and supports the opening of additional direct flights from Shanghai to Marseille. 150 years ago, the French participated in the construction of China's Fujian Shipbuilding School, and the work-study movement in France at the beginning of the last century, which are good stories in the history of educational exchanges between the two countries. We welcome France as the Guest of Honour at this year's China Annual Conference on International Education, and promote the number of French students studying in China to exceed 10,000 in the next three years, and the scale of exchanges among European youths in China will be doubled.

Fourth, we need to build greater consensus on global cooperation. The two sides will deepen cooperation in areas such as climate change and biodiversity, and strengthen dialogue on global governance of artificial intelligence and reform of the international financial system. China supports France in hosting the 2025 UN Ocean Conference and encourages the twinning of national parks and nature reserves between the two countries.

Xi Jinping pointed out that today's world is far from peaceful. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, China is ready to work with France to take the Paris Olympics as an opportunity to advocate a global ceasefire and cessation of hostilities during the Games.

With regard to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, this tragedy, which has dragged on to this day, is a test of human conscience, and the international community must do something about it. We call for an immediate comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza, support for Palestine to become a full Member of the United Nations, support the restoration of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian nation, the resumption of the two-state solution, and the realization of lasting peace in the Middle East.

On the Ukraine crisis, China has repeatedly stated its position. China is neither a creator of the crisis, nor a party or a participant, but we have not watched the fire from the other side, but have been playing an active role in achieving peace. The Special Representative of the Chinese Government for Eurasian Affairs has launched the third round of shuttle mediation. At the same time, we oppose the use of the Ukraine crisis to shift blame, smear third countries, and incite a "new Cold War". History has repeatedly proven that any conflict can ultimately only be resolved through negotiations. We call on all parties to resume engagement and dialogue and gradually build mutual trust, support the convening of an international peace conference at an appropriate time that is recognized by Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation of all parties and fair discussion of all peace options, and support the building of a balanced, effective and sustainable European security framework.

Xi Jinping pointed out that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and after 75 years of arduous struggle, China's national outlook and people's lives have undergone earth-shaking changes, but one thing has never changed, that is, our peaceful and benign nature, broad and inclusive mind, and pursuit of fairness and justice. It is rooted in Chinese civilization for more than 5,000 years and grows in the depths of the soul of the Chinese people. China is ready to work with France and other countries in the world to develop friendly and cooperative relations on the basis of mutual respect, move forward hand in hand, share ups and downs and create a better future.

Cai Qi, Wang Yi and others attended.