China and France will work to explore ways to further their strong relationships in the spheres of economy, culture, international politics and other areas, with the upcoming China visit by French President Jacques Chirac.

"What we want on this important occasion is to confirm what we have done during the past few years, and build (our relationships) for the future," Philippe Guelluy, French Ambassador to China, said in an exclusive interview with China Daily.

Arriving in Beijing today, French President Jacques Chirac will discuss with Chinese President Hu Jintao various bilateral and international issues.

The two presidents will also ink several agreements "to demonstrate the quality of our relationships, not only in the economic sector, but also in other sectors," said Guelluy, adding that they were still working on the list of agreements.

"In the economic sector, the two presidents some years ago decided on co-operation in important strategic areas such as civil aviation, energy and railways," the ambassador said. "As the areas of co-operation become larger, we have expanded into areas such as environment, finance and agriculture, water and gas distribution" he said.

"We have a strong tradition in agriculture and you have a strong tradition also, and we can do more in this sector," he said.

French companies are also very active in co-operation with their Chinese partners in water treatment, waste management, pollution control and energy saving - to curb environmental deterioration, which is one of the priorities of Chinese Government. Joint ventures also involve nuclear energy, road construction, scientific and technological research and medicine.

The ambassador pointed out that France has invested a lot in China, and he believes that "We are the third biggest investor in China from Europe." French investments in China increased by 49 per cent in 2005 year on year.

There are 800 French enterprises working in China, opening more than 1,000 factories in China and employing more than 200,000 Chinese, he said.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, by March 2006, projects involving investment in China from France numbered some 3,017. China and France have long-standing agreements on ocean-going and air transportation, long-term economic co-operation, avoidance of double-taxation, investment protection and intellectual rights co-operation.

China and France have pushed for scientific and technological exchanges and co-operation, especially in the fields of environmental protection, development and peaceful use of atomic energy, health and medical sciences. "We have more and more French researchers and scientists working in laboratories in China for long periods," Guelluy said.

The governmental Joint Commission on Science and Technology meets every year to advance technology research plans.

Up to the end of 2004, the two sides had signed a total of 2,313 contracts introducing technologies totalling US$12.2 billion and covering areas such as space utilization (remote sensing technology), co-operation in nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, coal cleaning and electricity generation with wind power.

In education, some 120 colleges and 20 middle schools in China have opened exchange programmes with their counterparts in France.

Cultural exchanges between the two countries have been expanding. Especially the Year of China in France and the Year of France in China between 2003 and 2005, which involved millions of participants and viewers from both countries, enhancing understanding between the French and Chinese.

France and China now have regular cultural festivals in each other's country in alternate years, the ambassador stressed. French Embassy organized the "Festival croisement" (exchange) in China this year. "Next year, we expect a part of this festival will also take place in France, to present Chinese art and culture to French public," Guelluy said. "We can do a lot to preserve and to expand our cultures," he added.

French president's visit

Chirac's arrival will be his fourth visit to China as French president, with his previous tours being made in 1997, 2000 and 2004.

Guelluy noted that Sino-Franco relations have reached a "zenith" - "we have regular visits between both countries, we have regular high-level meetings, and exchange of visits between presidents and prime ministers," he said.

The most recent took place in July in St Petersburg, where Chinese President Hu Jintao and French President Jacques Chirac met after the conclusion of the outreach session of the G8 summit. During the meeting, Hu said that current ties had reached a historic high, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Chirac said he agreed with Hu's observation, noting that the planned set-up of an A320 general assembly line of Airbus in China would signal a new starting point for aeronautic co-operation between the two countries.

During the meeting, Chirac said Chinese-French friendly ties had solid political foundations and the two countries had broad co-operation and exchanges in economic, cultural and other fields, Xinhua reported.

The French President reiterated that the Chinese-French all-round strategic partnership was established on the basis of common world views, as the two countries shared the same or similar views on many international and regional issues.

"Despite the distance and cultural differences, we now have reached the level of intimacy between our two countries and people," the ambassador stressed.

(China Daily 10/25/2006 page17)