Chinese President Hu Jintao (C) and his French counterpart Jacques Chirac (4th L) witness the signing of Sino-French cooperation agreements in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Oct. 9, 2004. (Xinhua Photo)

¡¡  BEIJING, Oct. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao and French President Jacques Chirac witnessed the signing of Sino-French cooperation agreements after their talks Saturday evening in the Great Hall of the People.

    The agreements cover prevention and control of contagious diseases, information technology, telecommunications, environmental protection, railways, movies, aviation and banking.

    Chirac arrived in Chengdu of Sichuan and started his five-day state visit to China as President Hu's guest Friday evening. He arrived in Beijing Saturday afternoon.

    Besides Chengdu and Beijing, Chirac and his entourage will alsovisit Shanghai and Hong Kong. Enditem