China, France sign deals worth $15b

This year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the nations, and the two leaders vowed to lift the Sino-French relationship to a higher level.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Macron, Xi called for enhancing political mutual trust between the countries and take real actions to fulfill their commitments to respect each other's sovereignty, integrity of territory, core interests and major concerns.

Beijing remains committed to developing major-project cooperation with France in nuclear energy, aviation and aerospace, and encourages Chinese companies to tap the potential of third-country cooperation with their French counterparts, Xi said.

Saying the nation is willing to work with France to expand bilateral trade and two-way investment and jointly uphold market rules and fair play principles, Xi expressed hope that France would not take discriminatory policies against China.

The two countries should work together to strengthen alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian connectivity strategy, deepen innovation cooperation to secure sustainable development, and promote exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and French cultures, Xi said.