China and France reaffirmed their commitment to joint action on multilateral and global matters during the 9th High-Level Economic and Financial Dialogue between the two nations. The dialogue, held in Beijing and co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and French Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industry and Digital Sovereignty Bruno Le Maire, resulted in a joint presidential statement reflecting their shared approach to various issues.
Among the consensus reached, both countries pledged to deepen economic and financial cooperation for mutual benefit. They emphasized the importance of fair and non-discriminatory conditions for companies in sectors such as cosmetics, agriculture, health, air traffic management, finance, energy, and sustainable development.
In the digital economy, France committed to granting fair and non-discriminatory treatment to Chinese companies applying for licenses based on relevant laws and regulations, including those related to national security.
The two nations also supported the coordinated resumption of air connectivity between their civil aviation authorities, ensuring fair and equal opportunities for airlines operating flights between the countries.
Regarding agricultural trading, France and China will continue working on market openings, export facilitation, custom processes optimization, and e-commerce cooperation for agri-food products businesses. They will open their markets for maize and dehydrated alfalfa in the short run and expand market access for pork products.
Data protection was also acknowledged as a crucial aspect, with both sides agreeing that data regulation should be proportionate to the sensitivity of the data and its costs manageable. They expressed their willingness to engage in discussions on cross-border data flows in various fields, including finance, transport, healthcare, environment, and retail.
Furthermore, China and France highlighted their longstanding cooperation in the financial sector and aimed to further strengthen it. They encouraged collaboration between their securities and futures regulators and valued the exchanges between their financial institutions, such as banks, insurers, securities firms, fund managers, and asset management companies.
Overall, the dialogue marked progress in preparing for the celebration of the 60th year of diplomatic relations between China and France, which is scheduled to take place in 2024.