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BEIJING, Oct. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Visiting French President Jacques Chirac said here Sunday that he has had wide-range and in-depth talks and meetings with Chinese leaders and reached with them many important consensuses.
"The agreements will be fully
implemented in the future cooperation between the two countries," said Chirac,
who was paying his third visit to China as French president.
Chirac started his five-day China
tour from Friday evening in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan
Province, and arrived in Beijing on Saturday.
After talks with President Hu
Jintao and Vice President Zeng Qinghong, he met with China's top legislator Wu
Bangguo and Premier Wen Jiabao in Beijing on Sunday.
In meeting with Wen, both sides
highlighted the fast-growing trade and economic ties between China and France.
They agreed that the bilateral
economic and trade cooperation between China and France boasts vast potentials
and broad prospects, and both sides should further strengthen cooperation in
energy, communication, agriculture and environment
The two also agreed to set up and
improve the cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises, and expand
new and high-tech cooperation spheres.
Chirac expressed his hope for
more bilateral cooperation in nuclear energy, aviation, railway, agriculture and
environmental protection, stressing that the rapidly developing China has
provided great opportunities for bilateral overall cooperation.
The French President brought with
him a large delegation of officials and entrepreneurs to China. Before he
started the visit, Chirac told press that his China tour undertook "important
economic missions."
Sino-French trade value grew 60.9
percent in 2003 from a year ago to 13.4 billion US dollars.
On Saturday, the two countries
inked a batch of cooperative documents, covering prevention and control of
contagious diseases, information technology, telecommunications, environmental
protection, railways, movies, aviation and banking.
Besides commitment to economic
cooperation, the two sides expressed satisfaction with the growth of bilateral
ties.
Wen said Sino-French relations as
stable politically, in-depth economically, and close in cooperation in
international affairs. "The bilateral all-round strategic partnership is being
consolidated and advanced," he said.
Moreover, he said China and
France share identical or similar positions on many major international issues,
citing that the Declaration on Dialogue among Cultures and Civilizations, which
was proposed by China and France and adopted at the just-closed summit of the
fifth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), has won echoes from leaders of different
countries attending the meeting.
Chirac said it is of great
importance to strengthen dialogue between cultures and civilizations, and the
fifth ASEM summit will play an important pushing role in enhancing mutual
understanding and closer cooperation between Europe and Asia.
On Sunday evening, China and
France issued a joint press communique, saying the two countries will join hands
in promoting a world which is safer, more united and shows more respect to
diversity.
"China and France are willing to
undertake joint efforts to promote the stable development of Sino-European Union
and Asia-Europe relations, and eradicate all obstacles affecting the relations
between China and the European Union," the communique says.
Both countries agreed to enhance
high-level political dialogues, promote mutual visit at high-level and
especially fulfill the annual meeting between state or government heads, and
expand consensus on major global issues in fields of development, poverty
alleviation, environment, diseases, crises prevention and handling,
anti-proliferation, war on terror and reform on the United Nations.
The communique says China and
France will institutionalize the coordination between the two countries'
permanent delegations in the U.N. and other international organizations,
cooperate in conflict prevention and peacekeeping and propose joint initiatives
when possible.
Chirac's state visit has also
brought rich French cultural elements.
On Sunday evening, an
electro-laser concert by French musician Jean Michel Jarre was staged at the
front gate, or Wumen Gate of the Forbidden City, kicking off the French Culture
Year which was jointly advocated by leaders of China and France.
Hu and Chirac exchanged
congratulation letters to each other for the opening cultural gala, voicing
their warm congratulation for the 40th anniversary of the establishment of
China-France diplomatic ties.
Meanwhile, a French Culture
Center was unveiled in Beijing in a bid to provide Chinese with a wider view of
the country's culture. Bernadette Chirac, wife of French President Jacques
Chirac, inaugurated the French Culture Center by beating a gong, a traditional
Chinese musical instrument.
Chirac and Hu, accompanied by their wives, visited an exhibition of
French impressionist paintings. Chirac also met with Liu Qi, secretary of the
Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China as well as French
entrepreneurs in China .Enditem | 
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