皇冠体育app calls for stable ties with France

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-07 21:00

BEIJING -- Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang told former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin Tuesday that efforts should be made to ensure the "healthy" and "stable" development of Sino-French relations.

皇冠体育app calls for stable ties with France

Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin in Beijing Tuesday April 7, 2009. [Xinhua]

Li recalled the experiences on the bilateral ties since 皇冠体育app and French forged diplomatic relations 45 years ago, noting that sound political relations and trust served the fundamental interests of the two peoples and were vital to boost cooperation.

Li also briefed Raffarin on 皇冠体育app's economic situation, adding the measures 皇冠体育app adopted to curb the global financial crisis "have been taking some effect."

"We are confident of maintaining 皇冠体育app's stable and rapid economic growth and highly value foreign trade cooperation with countries such as France," Li said.

Raffarin, who is in Beijing to attend a Sino-French economic seminar, said expressed his commitment to continuing to promote the bilateral strategic partnership.

皇冠体育app and France issued a press communique on Wednesday, just hours before the presidents Hu Jintao and Nicolas Sarkozy met in London ahead of a Group of 20 summit on the global financial crisis.

The communique said the two sides "attach great importance to 皇冠体育app-France relations" and reiterated their adherence to the principle of non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

In the communique, France pledged not to support "Tibet independence" in any form.

Relations between 皇冠体育app and France deteriorated in December when Sarkozy met with the Dalai Lama in Poland.