Remarks by H.E. Xi Jinping President of the People's Republic of China At the Closing Ceremony of The Sixth Meeting of the China-France Business Council

PARIS, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday delivered a speech here at the closing ceremony of the Sixth Meeting of the China-France Business Council.

The following is the full text of the speech:

Building on Past Achievements to Jointly Usher in a New Era

In China-France Cooperation

Remarks by H.E. Xi Jinping

President of the People's Republic of China

At the Closing Ceremony of The Sixth Meeting of the China-France Business Council

Paris, May 6, 2024

Your Excellency President Emmanuel Macron,

Representatives of the Chinese and French Business Communities,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

It gives me great pleasure to attend the China-France Business Council meeting with President Macron again in a little over a year and to meet friends, old and new, of the business communities of the two countries. It has been five years since I last visited Paris. I wish to start by extending my warm greetings to you all. I wish the Council's sixth meeting a full success.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of China-France diplomatic relations. Sixty years complete one cycle in the traditional Chinese calendar, bridging the past and the future.

For 60 years, China and France have remained devoted friends of each other. We both have always committed to the principles of independence, mutual understanding, strategic vision, and win-win cooperation which underpinned the establishment of our diplomatic relations. Together, we have traversed an extraordinary journey, and forged a close and lasting comprehensive strategic partnership. The China-France relationship has always been a pacesetter for the relations between China and Western countries. It shows how countries with different cultures, systems and development levels can help each other succeed and make progress together. China-France friendship is in the best interest of the Chinese and French peoples as well as the interest of the whole world.

For 60 years, China and France have remained win-win partners of each other. Bilateral trade and investment have grown tremendously from negligible levels. Our trade has expanded by nearly 800 times since the establishment of diplomatic relations, reaching 78.9 billion U.S. dollars. Cumulative two-way investment has exceeded 26 billion U.S. dollars. More than 2,000 French companies have woven themselves into the fabric of the Chinese market. China is the largest trading partner of France outside the EU, and France is a major EU trading partner of China. Flagship projects such as the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant and Airbus A320 Family assembly facilities in Tianjin stand as vivid examples of our mutually beneficial cooperation. Our two countries are also engaged in enthusiastic discussions on expanding cooperation in emerging fields such as green and low-carbon development, digital economy and cross-border e-commerce. Thanks to 60 years of growth, our economies are now closely intertwined and highly symbiotic.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

Both China and France are parts of the Eurasian continent, located at its east and west ends respectively. China is a typical Eastern civilization, and France showcases the Western. Our two countries do not have geopolitical conflicts, and we do not have clashes of fundamental interests. What we do have in common is we both think independently, both are fascinated by our splendid cultures, and we are engaged in result-oriented cooperation based on many shared interests. Our experiences in the past and at present both show that there is no reason for failures in bringing out the best in China-France relations. We have now reached a new crossroads in the development of mankind and face global changes unseen in a century. Against this backdrop, China is ready to enhance all-round exchanges and cooperation with France, bring the China-France relationship to a new stage and make it even more productive.

-- Looking to the future, we will work with France to enrich the economic and trade dimensions of the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership. As one of the earliest participants in China's reform and opening up, France has contributed to China's modernization drive and benefited from it. Deeper friendship calls for frequent exchanges and closer cooperation. We always view France as a priority and trustworthy partner of cooperation. We are committed to expanding our business relations in both width and depth by opening up new areas, creating new models and fostering new growth areas. China will continue to make full use of the "French farm to Chinese dining table" whole-chain rapid coordination mechanism, and bring more cheese, ham, wine and other quality agricultural products from France to the dining tables of Chinese families. China has decided to extend visa exemption entry for citizens from 12 countries including France on short-term visits to China until the end of 2025, a step that will further boost people-to-people exchanges.

-- Looking to the future, we will work with France to deepen China-Europe mutually beneficial cooperation. China and Europe are two major forces in building a multipolar world, two big markets that promote globalization, and two great civilizations that advocate cultural diversity. China-Europe relations are crucial for peace, stability and prosperity of the world. The two sides should always define China-Europe relations as a comprehensive strategic partnership, continue to enhance political mutual trust, remove various distractions, and jointly oppose attempts to turn business relations into political, ideological or security issues. We hope that Europe will work together with us to increase understanding through dialogue, resolve differences through cooperation, and defuse risks with enhanced mutual trust. We should turn China and Europe into each other's key partners for business cooperation, priority partners for cooperation in science and technology, and trustworthy partners for cooperation in industrial and supply chains. China will, on its own initiative, further open up the service sector including telecommunication and medical services, and open its market wider to create more opportunities for companies of France, Europe and beyond.

-- Looking to the future, we are ready to join hands with France to tackle global challenges. The world today is facing growing peace deficit, development deficit, security deficit and governance deficit. Both China and France are independent major countries and permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. This means our two countries need to shoulder our responsibilities and missions to enhance stability in China-France relations to address uncertainties of the world. We need to step up coordination in the U.N. and provide more leadership and support for global governance so as to build an equal and orderly multipolar world. China and France need to practice true multilateralism, further promote all-round WTO reform, uphold the authority and performance of the multilateral trading regime with the WTO at its core, keep the global economy open, and promote a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. China and France need to urge the international community to pool strengths, stand by the goals and principles of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, actively address climate change, advance the global process of biological diversity protection, and jointly protect the Earth, our common home.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

Reform and opening up, a truly remarkable endeavor, is the defining feature of China today. China is pursuing high-standard opening up to advance in-depth reform and high-quality development. We are upgrading traditional industries, fostering emerging industries, laying the groundwork for future industries, and moving faster to promote new quality productive forces. We are considering and taking major steps to further deepen reform across the board, steadily expand institutional opening up, further expand market access, and shorten the negative list for foreign investment. All this will create an even bigger market and present more opportunities for win-win cooperation for France and other countries. We welcome French entrepreneurs present toady to play an active part in the Chinese modernization process and benefit from China's development opportunities.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

In more than two months, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will open by the beautiful Seine River. The Olympic Games is a symbol of solidarity, friendship and mutual learning between civilizations. Let us stay committed to the goal set by our two countries when our diplomatic ties were forged, boost our traditional friendship, and practice the Olympic motto of "Faster, Higher, Stronger-Together." Let us join hands to open up a new era of China-France cooperation and write a new chapter in building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Thank you. ■