By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ISTANBUL (AA) – China’s President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called on France and the EU to abide by the “spirit of independence and autonomy” for global stability.
“The world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation,” Xi told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron during a meeting in the Indonesian resort island of Bali, where world leaders have gathered for a G-20 summit.
“As two important forces in the multipolar world, China and France … and the EU should adhere to the spirit of independence and autonomy, as well as openness and cooperation to push bilateral relations for steady progress on the right track and inject stability and positive energy into the world,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement quoted Xi as saying.
France is a major member of the EU, with which China had an annual trade volume of around $828 billion last year.
Xi met Macron a day after holding much-anticipated talks with US President Joe Biden, the first face-to-face meeting between the leaders of the world’s top economies.
He told the French leader that China “will unswervingly promote high-level opening up and strive to promote Chinese-style modernization, which will provide new opportunities for countries around the world including France.”
“The two sides should focus on the future and do a good job in top-level design, respect each other's core interests and major concerns, deepen practical cooperation, promote continuous new progress in traditional fields, and actively tap the potential for cooperation in green energy, technological innovation and other fields,” the Chinese president said.
Xi said he hopes France “will provide a fairer, just, and non-discriminatory” business environment for Chinese companies in the European country.
“China and Europe have formed a strong economic symbiotic relationship,” he said, calling for expansion of two-way trade and investment.
According to the readout from Beijing, Macron said France “upholds independent diplomacy and opposes confrontation between camps.”
On the Ukraine war, Xi said China’s position “is clear and consistent,” and it continues to advocate “ceasefire, cessation of war and peace talks.”
“The international community should create conditions for this, and China will continue to play a constructive role in its own way,” he added.
After the meeting, Macron said on Twitter that France calls “for respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,” while warning that consequences of the “conflict go beyond European borders.”
- Xi meets Dutch premier
The Chinese president held separate talks with Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte, emphasizing the need to enhance high-level interactions to “consolidate political trust” and advance bilateral relations.
He suggested “pushing forward” cooperation in energy, agriculture and irrigation, according to Chinese daily Global Times.
“China hopes that the Netherlands will play a constructive role in safeguarding multilateralism, pushing forward European openness and cooperation, and playing an active role in stable and sound China-Europe ties,” he said.
Rutte said maintaining dialogue is “important” during times of “mounting geopolitical tensions.”
Referring to the Ukraine war, he said the Chinese president “spoke out against the threat of nuclear weapons,” terming it “an important message for Russia.”