Source: Website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
On October 30, 2021 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with French Foreign Minister Le Dreyon in Rome.
Wang Yi said that since the beginning of this year, China and France have maintained close high-level interaction. The two heads of state attended the fifteenth Summit of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity by video, and a few days ago they had a fruitful phone call to make comprehensive plans for cooperation between the two countries in various fields. The two sides should implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, respect each other's core interests, accommodate each other's legitimate concerns, safeguard the political foundation of bilateral relations, and promote pragmatic cooperation to achieve more results.
Wang Yi said that at present, the new crown pneumonia epidemic has been repeatedly delayed, the world economy has recovered slowly, and international peace and security development are facing severe challenges. China stands for unity rather than division, cooperation rather than confrontation, which is also the common voice of the international community. As permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and France should be highly vigilant against those words and deeds that create antagonism in the international arena and provoke a new Cold War, firmly defend multilateralism, resolutely oppose hegemonism, unilateralism and protectionism, and demonstrate the responsibility of major powers.
Le Drian said that the French side attaches great importance to the implementation of the important consensus reached by the two heads of state. The French side firmly pursues the one-China policy and respects the principle of national sovereignty. The French side firmly supports multilateralism, has always advocated the principle of mutual respect, handling differences through dialogue rather than confrontation, and is willing to continue to strengthen communication and coordination with China under multilateral frameworks such as the Security Council and the G20.
The two sides agreed to promote the success of the Glasgow Gas Change Conference and the second phase of the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Wang Yi said that China has submitted new targets and measures to implement the results of the Nationally Determined Contribution, and will firmly fulfill its commitments and actively participate in international cooperation on climate change. Le Drian said that the French side highly appreciates the positive and powerful measures taken by China to save energy and reduce emissions, and is willing to work with China to cope with global challenges.
When talking about China-EU relations, Wang Yi expressed the hope that the French side will play the role of the rotating presidency of the EU next year, maintain the main tone of china-EU mutually beneficial cooperation, and promote the sustained, healthy and stable development of China-EU relations. Le Drian said he was willing to communicate and coordinate with the Chinese side. The two sides also exchanged views on issues of common concern such as the Iranian nuclear issue, and agreed to resume negotiations on the implementation of the JCPOA next month and reach an agreement as soon as possible.