President and Macron discuss cooperation

President Xi Jinping's meeting on Saturday with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron will bring more practical cooperation between the two countries in various areas including marine products, nuclear power plants and aerospace, an analyst said.

China would like to make concerted efforts with France to continue to view the bilateral relations from a strategic height and a long-term perspective, Xi said during his meeting with Macron at the annual G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany.

Xi said the two countries should deepen cooperation in nuclear energy, aerospace and other traditional areas, while exploring cooperation in new areas such as agricultural foods, finance and sustainable development, thus making the "pie" of their common interests even bigger.

The two countries should increase high-level exchanges and take into account each other's core interests and major concerns based on the principles of mutual respect, trust, understanding and accommodation, Xi said.

"The China-France relationship has become increasingly strategic under the current situation," he said.

"It is our shared historical responsibility to maintain and promote the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership."

On China's relations with the European Union, Xi said that China hopes France will continue to play a leading role and make more contributions to China-EU trade and two-way investment in order to achieve mutually beneficial cooperation.

China will earnestly fulfill its obligations in the Paris Agreement on climate change in light of its own requirements for sustainable development, he added.

Macron said that France highly values the France-China comprehensive strategic partnership and regards China as an important partner for cooperation and an important force in international affairs.

France is willing to enhance cooperation with China in a wide range of areas, including economy and trade, investment, nuclear energy, auto manufacturing and food, he said.

Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University of China, said China and France can expand new areas of cooperation in marine products, third-party markets, aerospace, informatization, tourism and climate change

"This is the Year of China-Europe Maritime Cooperation. China and France can cooperate in areas like marine protection, marine products, maritime disaster relief and other aspects," he said.

Zhou Jin contributed to this story.