Thierry de Montbrial, one of the leading French specialists in international affairs, said Wednesday that he totally agreed with the concept of building a harmonious world proposed by Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Noting that the concept originated from the traditional Chinese culture, Montbrial, founder and director of the French Institute of International Relations, said concerted efforts should be made to make the international community become more harmonious so that there would be fewer conflicts in the world.

Montbrial also spoke highly of the various policies that China is pursuing. "Those people in the west who are concerned about China will follow closely with the developments of these concepts and policies," he said.

At the invitation of the president of the Chinese Foreign Affairs University (CFAU) Wu Jianmin, Montbrial visited CFAU and gave a speech titled "U.S.-EU Relations" on Wednesday.

Source: Xinhua