In anticipation of French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna’s inaugural visit to China since assuming office, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed on Wednesday the nation’s eagerness to collaborate with France in deepening exchanges across diverse sectors. These sectors include education, culture, and sports, with the shared goal of fostering mutual learning and enhancing people-to-people connectivity. This initiative aims to drive new advancements in China-France relations.
Colonna is scheduled to visit China from Thursday to Friday at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
During Colonna’s visit, she is expected to meet with Premier Li Qiang, and together with Wang Yi, they will conduct the 6th meeting of the China-France high-level dialogue mechanism on people-to-people exchanges. Additional events will be attended, as announced by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Wednesday.
This marks Colonna’s inaugural visit to China since assuming office and represents the first time China has held a meeting of the dialogue mechanism on people-to-people exchanges with a European country in recent years, noted Mao.
The spokesperson emphasized that China and France, both permanent members of the UN Security Council and independent major countries, have experienced robust growth in bilateral relations under the joint leadership of the two heads of state. The two nations have witnessed frequent high-level exchanges, steady progress in various fields, and effective multilateral communication and coordination. Furthermore, both countries have collaborated in addressing global challenges.
Experts predict that the recent San Francisco summit has alleviated tensions between China and the US to some extent, creating opportunities for Europe, including France, to adopt a more pragmatic approach in developing relations with China.
Next year, which marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and France, has also been designated as the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism. Both nations are planning a series of activities to commemorate this milestone, according to the spokesperson.
In a recent phone conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, Xi urged the continuation of the longstanding China-France friendship and the elevation of relations to new heights. Xi highlighted the rapid resumption of China-France exchanges at all levels since Macron’s successful visit to China in April, emphasizing solid progress and fruitful results in various fields of bilateral cooperation.