In October, French aerospace major Airbus opened its second A320-family final assembly line in Tianjin, the northern Chinese port city, which is expected to account for 20% of the aircraft family’s global output.
The significance of the Tianjin project was highlighted when the framework agreement was formally signed in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron during their visit to China in April 2023.
Now, as Macron returns to Beijing for his fourth state visit, Xi said on Thursday that China and France should seize opportunities during their talks with the French president and expand the scope of cooperation.
After the friendly, frank, and fruitful talks, Xi said the two sides agreed to enhance political trust.
No matter how the external environment evolves, China and France should always demonstrate the strategic vision and independence of major countries and provide understanding and support to each other on issues concerning core interests and major concerns, he said during a press conference with Macron.
Macron said France values its relations with China and firmly supports the one-China policy. He added that France is ready to further deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
A compilation of available opportunities
During his speech at the Great Hall of the People on Thursday, Xi said at his fourth plenary session that the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China discussed and adopted recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan, drawing up a blueprint for China’s development in the next five years and also providing the world with a list of opportunities.
Xi added that China and France should seize opportunities to expand space for cooperation and strengthen ties in traditional fields such as aviation, aerospace, and nuclear energy, and open up cooperation prospects in green economy, digital economy, biomedicine, AI, new energy, and other fields.
Macron said that France is pleased to see the rapid development of the Chinese economy, which promotes openness and cooperation and brings more opportunities to the world.
He added that France welcomes more Chinese investment in France and will provide a fair and nondiscriminatory business environment.
China is now France’s largest trading partner in Asia and its seventh-largest trading partner worldwide, while France is China’s third-largest trading partner in the European Union.
According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, from January to October 2025, bilateral trade between the two countries reached $68.75 billion, a year-on-year increase of 4.1 percent, and total investment from both sides exceeded $27 billion.
In terms of cultural and people-to-people exchanges, during last year’s China-France Year of Culture and Tourism, more than 6,000 French students came to China for study and exchange programs, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
A recent poll found that 75 percent of respondents supported stronger economic cooperation between China and France to jointly address external threats and challenges, and 77.8 percent believed that enhancing cooperation between the two countries based on mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit would not only strengthen their relationship but also have a significant impact on the international landscape.
Supporters of multilateral cooperation in an increasingly multipolar world
Xi said on Thursday that China and France are independent, visionary, and responsible major countries and constructive forces working to promote a multipolar world and promote unity and cooperation among humanity.
“Today, changes unseen in a century are advancing at an even faster pace. Humanity has once again come to a crossroads,” Xi said, adding that China and France should act with a strong sense of responsibility, uphold multilateralism, and stand firmly on the right side of history.
Xi added that China and Europe should remain committed to partnership, cooperate with an open mind, and ensure that China-Europe relations develop on the right track of freedom and mutually beneficial cooperation.
Macron stated that France is committed to promoting the robust and stable development of Europe-China relations and said he believes that Europe and China should maintain dialogue and cooperation and that Europe should achieve strategic autonomy.
He added that given the global geopolitical instability and the challenges to the multilateral system, cooperation between France and China is more important and necessary than ever.
In a recent poll, 92.5 percent of respondents called on China and France to work together to uphold true multilateralism, protect the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and jointly address global challenges.
Wang Yanhang, a senior fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, said that observing China-France bilateral cooperation from a multilateral perspective emphasizes their shared responsibility as major countries.
Wang said that no matter how the international landscape changes, China and France’s willingness and ability to build consensus, properly manage differences, and deepen cooperation through communication and dialogue provide certainty and stability to the world.
