China and France hold beneficial phone conversation

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that China would like to strengthen coordination with France to make contributions to safeguarding peace, stability and development.

Wang made the remarks during a phone conversation with French President's Diplomatic Counselor Emmanuel Bonne.

In face of the turbulent international situation, Wang said China always stays committed to safeguarding the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order based on the international law and the norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

In terms of the Ukraine crisis, Wang said it shows a long-term and complicated trend which the world is not willing to recognize.

China, from the very beginning, has stuck to facilitating a dialogue for peace, Wang said, while pledging that the country will continue to play a constructive role in achieving a ceasefire with the utmost efforts.

Wang said the spillover of the Ukraine crisis has resulted in food and energy shortages, as well as brought challenges and risks to global recovery, peace and stability.

China stands ready to step up coordination with France on implementing China's Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, Wang added.

Wang also suggested that China's Cooperation Initiative on Global Food Security could echo France's Food and Agriculture Resilience Mission to form more international consensus.

China supports and believes that France, being a major European country, could continue to play a unique and important role in resuming peace, he added.

On bilateral ties, Wang said China would like to join hands with France to promote a more vibrant comprehensive strategic partnership.

Wang also expressed the hope that France, as a core major power of the European Union, could play an active role in promoting the healthy and smooth development of China-EU relations.

Bonne said France attaches high importance to the strategic coordination with China and appreciated China's active role in promoting food and energy security.

France will make efforts to achieve a ceasefire at an early date to minimize the negative impacts of the Ukraine crisis on the vulnerable and less developed countries, he added.

He said that France is willing to deepen pragmatic cooperation with China in various fields such as aerospace, agriculture and food, as well as strengthen coordination in global affairs including biodiversity and climate change.

He noted France would continue to proactively promote cooperation between the EU and China by upholding the principle of mutual benefit.

He also reiterated that the North Atlantic Organization Treaty, or NATO, will not and has no intention to expand itself into the Asia-Pacific region.