Days after French President Emmanuel Macron’s India visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping has made a ‘break new ground’ offer to further improve China-France ties.

New Delhi: The President of France, Emmanuel Macron was in India as he was invited to be the Republic Day Parade 2024 Chief Guest. The French President’s visit is a mark of good diplomatic relations between the two nations which are expected to strengthen with the passing time. Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India coincides with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France. On this occasion, French President Xi Jinping has made a ‘break new ground’ offer to improve and strengthen China-France relations.

‘Break New Ground’ Offer By Chinese Prez Xi Jinping

Chinese President Xi Jinping has offered to “break new ground” to give a fillip to the China-France ties, days after French President Emmanuel Macron’s high-profile visit to India during which the two countries unveiled an ambitious defence roadmap besides intensifying cooperation in the strategic Indian Ocean and the Indo-Pacific region. As mentioned earlier, Macron’s visit to India coincided with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France.

‘China-France Should Jointly Open Path Of Peace, Security, Prosperity’

In his message on the occasion, Xi said “As today’s world is once again at a critical crossroads, China and France should jointly open up a path of peace, security, prosperity and progress for human development.” Xi said China attaches great importance to the development of bilateral ties and he stands ready to work with Macron to take the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations as an “opportunity to uphold fundamental principles, break new ground, build on past achievements, open up a new future, and make China-France comprehensive strategic partnership more solid and dynamic,” the official media reported.

China Offers To Set Up French Imports To Country

China has offered to step up French imports to the country, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said. “We will continue to unleash consumer and investment market demand, continue to expand the import of high-quality products and services from France”, he said and hoped that France too will provide Chinese companies with a fair, just and predictable business environment. China prioritises ties with France as Macron is pushing Europe to become a third bloc, a balancing force between the US and China.

Chinese Media Calls For Stepping Up Cooperation In High-Tech Areas

“Scientific and technological cooperation between France and China has been a cornerstone of their relationship. From aerospace and the nuclear industry to renewable energy, the two countries have made significant strides in joint research and development”, state-run China Daily said in its editorial. Hailing China-France ties, Chinese official media has called for stepping up cooperation in high-tech areas.

During his visit to India, Emmanuel Macron, after discussion with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, unveiled a defence industrial roadmap to co-develop critical military hardware, on ehalf of both the nations. The joint statement issued after Macron’s India visit said, “Defence and security partnership has been the cornerstone of India-France partnership in the Indo-Pacific region, which includes a comprehensive range of bilateral, multinational, regional and institutional initiatives, especially in the Indian Ocean Region. They also agreed to intensify their cooperation in the Southwest Indian Ocean, building on the joint surveillance missions carried out from the French island territory of La Reunion in 2020 and 2022”

(Inputs from PTI)