On visit to Beijing, French foreign minister meets Chinese premier

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Visiting French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna met Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Friday.

France's top diplomat said the two sides “work to find answers to global challenges, climate change, and biodiversity,” while Beijing and Paris also look to “deepen and rebalance their economic relationship.”

Economic data shows the annual trade between France and China hovers around $81 billion.

​​​​​​​Colonna is in China a two-day official trip at the invitation of her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi for high-level talks.

Wang and Colonna will co-host the sixth meeting of the China-France high-level dialogue mechanism on people-to-people exchanges, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The two sides will also prepare for the 60th anniversary of their diplomatic relations next year.

Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Monday, as the two sides discussed bilateral relations besides the situation in the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza.

Macron earlier this year paid an official visit to China while Premier Li also visited Paris in June.