Speech by President Xi Jinping and French President Macron

On the afternoon of May 6th local time, President Xi Jinping met with reporters after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris. （Xinhua /Yin Bogu）

I am delighted to be invited by President Emmanuel Macron to visit France again on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France.

Just now, I had a fruitful meeting with President Emmanuel Macron. We unanimously believe that China France relations have precious history, unique value, and important mission. Both sides should pass on the baton of history, promote the spirit of establishing diplomatic relations between China and France, and give it new era connotations, opening a new journey for the next 60 years of China France relations.

We have decided to do a good job in the following areas.

One is to consolidate the strategic stability of bilateral relations. I welcome President Emmanuel Macron to visit China again. China and France reaffirm mutual respect for each other's core interests, and will make good use of multi-level and multidimensional communication channels between the two countries to timely communicate and coordinate policy positions.

The second is to tap into the vast potential of mutually beneficial cooperation. Both sides will promote an upward balance in bilateral trade, expand cooperation in agriculture, food, finance and other fields, promote joint research and innovation in aviation, aerospace, civil nuclear energy and other fields, strengthen development strategy docking, and expand cooperation in emerging fields such as green energy, intelligent manufacturing, biomedicine, artificial intelligence, and third-party markets. China has fully liberalized its access to the manufacturing industry and will accelerate the opening up of market access to service industries such as telecommunications and healthcare. We encourage the expansion of two-way investment and are committed to providing a good business environment for enterprises in other countries. During this visit, the two sides signed 18 inter departmental cooperation agreements, covering areas such as aviation, agriculture, humanities, green development, and cooperation with small and medium-sized enterprises.

The third is to accelerate the two-way flow of cultural exchanges. Taking the Sino French Cultural Tourism Year as an opportunity, we will promote cooperation in education, sports, film and television, youth, and local areas. China supports France in hosting the Paris Olympics and welcomes more French friends to visit China. It has decided to extend the visa free policy for citizens from 12 countries, including France, for short-term visits to China until the end of 2025 and supports the opening of a direct flight route from Shanghai to Marseille. The Fujian Shipbuilding School in China, which was built 150 years ago with the participation of French people, and the work study movement to France in the early 20th century are both good stories in the history of educational exchanges between the two countries. We welcome France to serve as the guest of honor at this year's China International Education Conference, promoting the number of French students studying in China to exceed 10000 in the next three years and doubling the scale of European youth exchanges in China.

The fourth is to gather greater consensus on global cooperation. Both sides will deepen cooperation in areas such as climate change and biodiversity, and strengthen dialogue in areas such as artificial intelligence global governance and international financial system reform. China supports France in hosting the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference and encourages pairing of national parks and nature reserves between the two countries.

Ladies and gentlemen!

The world is not peaceful today. As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a responsible major country, China is willing to work with France to take the Paris Olympics as an opportunity to propose a global ceasefire and end to war during the Games.

Regarding the Palestinian Israeli conflict, this tragedy, which has persisted to this day, is a test of human conscience, and the international community must take action. We call for the immediate realization of a comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza, support for Palestine to become an official member of the United Nations, support the restoration of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian nation, restart the "two-state solution", and achieve lasting peace in the Middle East region.

China has repeatedly clarified its position on the Ukrainian crisis. China is not the creator of the crisis, nor is it a party or participant, but we have not watched from the sidelines. Instead, we have been playing a positive role in achieving peace. The Chinese government's Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs has initiated the third round of shuttle mediation. At the same time, we oppose using the Ukrainian crisis to sow discord, smear third countries, and incite a "new Cold War". History has repeatedly proven that any conflict can only be resolved through negotiation. We call on all parties to resume contact and dialogue, gradually accumulating mutual trust; Support the timely convening of international peace conferences recognized by both Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation from all parties and fair discussion of all peace plans; Support the construction of a balanced, effective, and sustainable European security framework.

Ladies and gentlemen!

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. After 75 years of arduous struggle, China's national image and people's lives have undergone earth shaking changes. However, one thing has never changed: our peaceful and good nature, broad and inclusive mind, and pursuit of fairness and justice. It is rooted in more than 5000 years of Chinese culture and grows deep in the soul of the Chinese people. China is willing to work with countries around the world, including France, to develop friendly and cooperative relations on the basis of mutual respect, move forward hand in hand, share the wind and rain, and create the future together.

Thank you all.