On October 19, 2023, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met at the Great Hall of the People with Special Representative of French President Emmanuel Macron and former Prime Minister of France Jean-Pierre Raffarin, who is in China to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF).

Wang Yi said that facing the international landscape fraught with changes and turbulence, China and France, as independent major countries, have the ability and responsibility to jointly promote international solidarity and cooperation. More than ten thousand representatives from 151 countries and 41 international organizations gathered in Beijing for the BRF, making it a grand event with thousands of participants. This once again demonstrates the great appeal and global influence of Belt and Road cooperation, and shows that seeking development, cooperation and win-win results is an irresistible trend of the times. China is ready to strengthen strategic communication with France, jointly safeguard multilateralism and oppose bloc confrontation, so as to provide more stability and certainty for the world and contribute the strength of China and France to peace, development and prosperity. As the Belt and Road Initiative has ushered in a new stage of high-quality development, China welcomes France to continue its active participation, and stands ready to work with France to leverage complementary advantages, form synergy, and explore and carry out more third-party market cooperation.

Wang Yi said that the current China-France relations have witnessed sound momentum of development. The common understandings reached between the two heads of state are being effectively implemented, and the two sides have kept high-level exchanges, injecting strong impetus into bilateral relations. The two sides should take the opportunity of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism, and the Paris Olympic Games next year to carry forward traditional friendship, expand all-round cooperation, and consolidate the public support for and the social foundation of China-France relations.

Jean-Pierre Raffarin congratulated China on successfully hosting the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. He emphasized that against the current backdrop of intensifying geopolitics, the Belt and Road Initiative is particularly important for promoting development cooperation. France attaches great importance to this important initiative, and stands ready to work with China to continue to implement cooperation projects including those with trilateral cooperation. France looks forward to taking the opportunity of the important agenda next year to make it a year of deepening France-China friendship.

The two sides also had an exchange of views on the Palestine-Israel conflict, expressed concern over the escalation of tensions, and voiced their readiness to maintain communication on promoting ceasefire, deescalation and restoring peace.