Chirac's China Trip to Help Promote Bilateral Ties

China hopes that the upcoming visit to China by French President Jacques Rene Chirac will help promote the Sino-French ties and the relations between China and Europe, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said in Beijing Tuesday.

Chirac's China tour is scheduled to start this Saturday, as the reciprocal trip to Chinese President Jiang Zemin's visit to France last year, Zhu told a regular press conference.

As Chirac is now holding the rotating presidency of European Union, his visit to China is expected to enhance the dialogue and the long-term, stable relations between China and France, as well as relations between China and Europe, Zhu said.

The growth of such relations "are in the fundamental interest of both China and France, and conducive to the world's peace, stability and development," the spokesman added.



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