Visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Monday in Paris that China and France have been enjoying the best development of bilateral ties ever, with high-level visits increased, mutual political trust deepened, cultural exchanges invigorated and economic and trade cooperation expanded.

Addressing the National Council of French Employers, Premier Wen, who is here for a four-day official visit, said China and France have made great progress in economic and trade cooperation in 2005, and it is possible the total volume this year will top 20 billion US dollars.

Noting that France has become China's second largest technology cooperation partner in the European Union (EU), third largest source of direct investment and China's fourth biggest trade partner, Wen outlined four new features in Sino-French economic and trade cooperation.

Firstly, the strategic cooperation between the two countries has been highlighted.

China has strengthened its cooperation with the EU and France in the Galileo program, and cooperation with France in the fields of biological technology, aviation and space industry has been fruitful.

Secondly, the cooperation scope has been broadened.

In addition to their sound cooperation in the fields of aviation, the space industry, energy and railways, economic trade cooperation between the two countries has expanded into the fields of agriculture, the environment, high and new technology and telecommunication.

Thirdly, the cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises of the two countries has been increased.

In 2005, France has pressed ahead with the government-sponsored program of "1,000 PMEs (the French abbreviation for small and medium-sized enterprises) into China", under which a large number of France's small and medium-sized enterprises visited China. Meanwhile, China's small and medium-sized enterprises also held trade talks in Paris.

Fourthly, the two-way investment of enterprises of the two countries and the trend of their cooperation are taking shape.

The merge of China's TCL Corp's television business with France 's Thomson SA and TCL and Alcatel Mobile Phones Limited, a new global handset company jointly set by TCL Communication Technology Holding Limited (TCL communication) and France's Alcatel, have set good examples for the internationalization of the Chinese enterprises, the Chinese premier said.

Wen thanked all those businessmen and enterprisers who contributed to the development of the economic, trade cooperation between the two countries.

Source: Xinhua