President Xi’s visit to France concurred with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-Franco diplomatic relations. Over the past six decades, bilateral trade volume grew by nearly 800 fold, hitting US$78.9 billion in 2023. China has become France’s largest trading partner outside the EU, whereas France is also China’s major trading partner in the EU. Two-way investment has surpassed US$ 26 billion, ranking among the highest in China-EU cooperation. Over 2000 French companies are operating in China. Chinese and French economies have forged a strong symbiotic relationship with intertwined interests. President Xi’s visit has provided strategic guidance for future Sino-Franco relations and renewed the impetus for bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

During the visit, MOFCOM and the French Foreign Ministry signed an MOU on Strengthening SME Cooperation in a bid to provide a better business environment for SME cooperation between the two countries. The 6th meeting of the China-France Business Council was successfully held. Attended by over 200 business leaders from both countries, the meeting addressed topics such as industrial innovation and mutual trust and win-win cooperation, green economy and low-carbon transition, and new quality productive forces and sustainable development. President Xi attended the closing ceremony and delivered an important speech, sending a positive signal of China’s efforts to expand high-level opening up and further Sino-Franco and China-EU economic and trade cooperation, and demonstrating China’s desire to strengthen strategic synergy and explore the potential for mutually beneficial cooperation. After the closing ceremony, businesses from the two sides signed 15 cooperation deals on finance, nuclear energy, aviation, manufacturing and new energy. Moving forward, MOFCOM will work with related French departments to conscientiously implement the important consensus of our heads of state and push bilateral economic and trade cooperation to a new high. Thank you.