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China calls for France to actively put bilateral ties back on track

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-03-19 19:34

BEIJING - China on Thursday again called for France to actively create conditions to put soured bilateral ties back on normal track.

"The causes for the current difficulties in Sino-French relations are known to all. France is clear about the principles and core interests of China," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a regular press briefing.

Qin was replying to a reporter's question on whether Chinese President Hu Jintao and French President Nicolas Sarkozy would meet on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) summit scheduled for April 2 in London.

Qin said both Premier Wen Jiabao and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi elaborated on China's policies on Sino-French relations at the press conferences held during the Second Session of the 11th NPC and the Second Session of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) earlier this month.

"China has all along attached great importance to Sino-French relations and made great efforts to promote their development," he said.

Relations hit a low after French President Nicolas Sarkozy held a private meeting with the Dalai Lama last year in Poland when France held the rotating presidency of the European Union. China postponed the 11th China-EU Summit and lodged a strong protest against the meeting, saying it "severely undermined China's core interests".