Marseilles, December 9th—Song Tao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, met here today with Renaud Muselier, President of the Provence-Alpes- Côte d'Azur (PACA) Regional Council of France.

Song expressed that France was one of the first major Western countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. Both countries enjoy long-standing friendly exchanges and the two peoples hold friendly feelings towards each other. In recent years, China-France relations have become more mature, stable and vigorous under the joint efforts of both sides, and bilateral practical cooperation has brought well-beings to the two peoples. As an important hub of exchanges between the East and the West, the PACA region has maintained friendly exchanges with China, and conducted cooperation with China in such fields as economy and trade, people-to-people and cultural engagement, science and technology and education, yielding positive outcomes. China is willing to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the PACA region, and also hopes that the PACA region will leverage its advantage to play an exemplary role in the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative between China and France.

Muselier noted that France-China relations enjoy sound development and broad prospects. Sub-national cooperation between both sides has greatly promoted respective economy and employment, and brought tangible benefits to the two peoples. The PACA region attaches importance to developing friendly relations with China, and stands ready to continue conducting mutually beneficial cooperation and actively participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.

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