Beijing:In a veiled swipe at India, Chinese President Xi Jinping has offered to reach out to France to bolster ties between the two nations.
Xi's move comes days after French President Emmanuel Macron's presence at the 75th Republic Day celebrations. Macron's visit to India also coincided with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and China.
During Macron's trip to India, the two nations vouched to give a fillip to their ties by launching a defence roadmap apart from intensifying cooperation in the Indian Ocean and the Indo-Pacific region.
Speaking on the ties between France and China, Xi said "As today's world is once again at a critical crossroads, China and France should jointly open up a path of peace, security, prosperity and progress for human development."
Xi elaborated that China "attaches great importance to the development of bilateral ties and he stands ready to work with France to take the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations forward."