Premier Li Keqiang met with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron in Beijing on Nov 6.

Noting that President Xi Jinping already had a satisfactory talk with Macron, the Premier said cooperation between China and France, both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and major economies in the world, is not only in the interest of the two sides and central Europe, but also the world.

Under the complex international situation, China and France should strengthen strategic cooperation, expand pragmatic cooperation and promote people-to-people exchanges, which will send a positive message to the world, the Premier said.

According to the Premier, China and the EU have concluded negotiations on the geographical indications agreement, and he hoped the two sides will help accelerate the negotiations on China-Europe investment agreement and achieve positive results at an early date.

China is willing to strengthen coordination with France on reform of the WTO in order to better safeguard free trade and multilateralism, Premier Li said.

He also said China will deepen cooperation with France in the fields of nuclear power, aerospace, third-party markets, and promote the implementation of high-quality projects in accordance with commercial and market principles.

China is ready to fulfill its commitment to address climate change and will continue to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with France and the EU in this area, according to Premier Li.

Macron said the current China-France relationship is gaining strong momentum. During his visit to China, the two sides achieved pragmatic results in fields such as nuclear power, food and agricultural products, aerospace and cultural industry, and laid out a strategic road map for future bilateral ties.

China and the EU have signed the geographical indications agreement, and agreed to advance the China-Europe investment agreement negotiations, he said.

France is willing to strengthen high-level exchanges with China, deepen pragmatic cooperation in trade, culture, tourism and third-party market, as well as enhance communication and coordination on issues such as the reform of the World Trade Organization, climate change, and biodiversity, and jointly safeguard multilateralism and free trade, Macron said.

State Councilor Wang Yi and He Lifeng, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, also attended the meeting.