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."
China has also offered to increase French imports to the country, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.
"We will continue to unleash consumer and investment market demand, continue to expand the import of high-quality products and services from France", he said exuding hope that France too will provide Chinese companies with a fair, just and predictable business environment.
Hailing China-France ties, Chinese official media has called for stepping up cooperation in high-tech areas as well.
"Scientific and technological cooperation between France and China has been a cornerstone of their relationship. From aerospace and the nuclear industry to renewable energy, the two countries have made significant strides in joint research and development", state-run China Daily said in its editorial. (With Agency inputs)
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