President encourages strong ties with newly elected French leader

In their first telephone talk, President Xi Jinping and French President-elect Emmanuel Macron agreed on May 9 to maintain contact and meet each other at an early date.

The phone conversation, reaffirming a shared commitment to tackle a range of global issues, came a day after Xi sent a congratulatory message to Macron on his victory.

Macron scored a landslide victory in the May 7 runoff vote of the presidential election.

In the phone call, Xi congratulated Macron and said China "has always viewed France as a cooperative partner of great significance and priority".

Macron said he appreciated Xi's call and attaches great importance to ties with China, according to an official release from the Foreign Ministry.

The new French government will continue friendly relations with China and uphold the one-China policy, Macron said.

Xi said that by raising the relationship between China and France to the next level, as Macron takes office, the people of both countries and the international community will be served.

Xi said he hopes the two countries will support each other on major issues and deepen cooperation in various fields.

China welcomes France's participation in building the Belt and Road Initiative, Xi said, referring to the ongoing development of building the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which has won support from more than 130 countries and organizations.

Macron said the new administration will deepen cooperation with China regarding diplomacy, economy, trade and industries, as well as collaboration within the framework of building the Belt and Road.

Cui Hongjian, director of the department for European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, says the brief interval between Xi's message and the phone conversation "mirrors the strong readiness shared by both sides to establish a good working relationship between the two leaders quickly" and to manage a smooth transition of ties.

"As the two countries share a great common ground on many issues, continuity (of policies) should be ensured to promote bilateral cooperation," Cui says.

He says it is possible the two sides may arrange a first meeting between Xi and Macron on the sidelines of a multilateral international meeting, such as the G20 Leaders Summit.

On regional and global topics, Xi said Beijing "will continue supporting the integration process of Europe".

Xi and Macron highlighted further communication and coordination between the two countries over regional and global issues, including cooperation within the framework of the G20.

Xi said the two countries should further promote the reform of global governance and champion the fruits of global governance, such as the agreement reached at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in 2015.

The two leaders agreed to exchange views on the development of ties between the two nations and issues of common concern.

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(China Daily European Weekly 05/12/2017 page14)