On March 18, 2013, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Laurent Fabius, exchanging views on China-France relations and other issues of common concern.
Fabius congratulated Wang on his appointment as China's Foreign Minister and said France values the France-China comprehensive strategic partnership. France is willing to work together with China to take the opportunity of the 50th anniversary of France-China diplomatic ties in 2014 to deepen bilateral cooperation in traditional areas such as nuclear energy and aviation and actively explore new cooperation fields and enhance cultural exchanges. Fabius welcomes China to expand investment in France and said as permanent members of the UN Security Council, France and China shoulder important responsibilities for promoting world peace and stability. He hoped the two sides will strengthen communication on major international issues including global governance, climate change, the situation in West Asia and North Africa and the situation in Mali.
Wang thanked Fabius for his congratulatory message and said China attaches great importance to Sino-French relations and holds that China-France ties go beyond the bilateral scope, with global strategic significance. In their phone talks last Friday, President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Francois Hollande expressed importance they attach to creating a new prospect in Sino-French relations in the new era. China and France have sufficient potential and space for cooperation in bilateral and multilateral fields, said Wang. He hoped the two sides could work together to explore a new path for win-win cooperation between countries with different ideologies, political systems and cultural traditions, and put in effect the new type of China-France comprehensive strategic partnership.