Xi Jinping Holds Talks with President Emmanuel Macron of France

Xi Jinping Holds Talks with President Emmanuel Macron of France

On November 6， 2019， Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with President Emmanuel Macron of France at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Xi said， “At the opening ceremony of the second China International Import Expo （CIIE） in Shanghai yesterday， we sent a strong message to the world in firmly safeguarding multilateralism and free trade， as well as building an open world economy， in our respective speeches.”Xi indicated that he would like to work with Macron to further elevate the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership and keep the partnership at the forefront of major-country relations.

Xi stressed that China-France relations have shown strong momentum of development at present. The Chinese side is willing to work with the French side to push for comprehensive and in-depth development of exchanges and cooperation with focus on six major targets， namely to maintain and enhance political mutual trust， further cooperate on large-scale projects， expand the opening-up of the twoway markets， promote the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative and the EU Strategy on Connecting Europe and Asia， deepen cooperation on innovation and achieve sustainable development， and promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

Emmanuel Macron said that he completely agreed with President Xis views on deepening bilateral cooperation. France and China take the same position on many major international issues. French companies are eagerly looking forward to availing the opportunity of Chinas expanded opening-up， further entering into the Chinese market， expanding exports of agricultural products to China， and strengthening cooperation in traditional areas such as aviation， aerospace， and civilian nuclear energy， as well as expanding cooperation in other areas including sci-tech innovation and finance.

“Chinas development means greater strength for Asia， emerging economies， developing countries， and also the peaceful forces in the world. Chinas development will bring important opportunities for its neighboring countries in Asia first.”

On October 29， 2019， State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi indicated in Beijing while talking to diplomatic envoys of the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations （ASEAN）.

Xi Jinping Meets President Prokopis Pavlopoulos of Greece

On November 11， 2019， President Xi Jinping held talks with President Prokopis Pavlopoulos of Greece in Athens. The two heads of state agreed to consolidate political mutual trust， deepen practical cooperation， and promote dialogue among civilizations.

Xi emphasized that the China-Greece friendship represents cooperation between the two countries， and more importantly， the dialogue between the two great civilizations. He called on the two countries to make joint efforts to deepen cooperation， promote inclusive exchanges among civilizations， advocate a more just and rational international order， and let China and Greece， the homes of two ancient civilizations， radiate with a new glow in the new era.

Prokopis Pavlopoulos said the Greek people have a natural affinity for China because both Greece and China are countries with ancient civilizations. In a world full of uncertainties， China has offered very useful references and plans for solving global issues by upholding peace， harmony， and balance. Greece will continue to staunchly support the Chinese side in safeguarding its core interests， eagerly look forward to strengthening cooperation with China in such areas as economy， trade， and culture， and actively participate in the joint building of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Li Keqiang Attends the 22nd China-ASEAN Summit

On the morning of November 3， 2019， Premier Li Keqiang attended the 22nd China-Association of Southeast Asian Nations （ASEAN） Summit in Bangkok， Thailand.

Li Keqiang said in his speech that since the inception of the dialogue relationship， China and ASEAN have brought benefits to each other and the wider region. Li stressed that China and ASEAN countries need to follow a win-win approach and upgrade economic and trade cooperation at a faster pace by pushing for an early conclusion of the negotiations contained in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership （RCEP） and implementing the protocol on the upgraded China-ASEAN Free Trade Area. He revealed that China will train 1，000 ASEAN administrative and specialized personnel in the health sector over the next three years， and support projects including the China-ASEAN Young Leaders Scholarship to promote people-topeople bonds.

At the summit， ASEAN leaders indicated that the ASEAN-China partnership is the most dynamic one in all the partnerships ASEAN has forged. ASEAN countries stand ready to take an active role in jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative， expand cooperation in such areas as connectivity， scientific and technological innovation， ecommerce， smart cities， and the blue economy， and increase two-way investment.