China is willing to strengthen high-level exchanges with France, give play to the leading role of head-of-state diplomacy, and add new connotations to the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, a senior Chinese official said on Saturday.
Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks over a phone call with French President's Diplomatic Counselor Emmanuel Bonne.
Wang said China is willing to push bilateral cooperation with France in various fields to a new level, and give play to the important role of the two major countries in dealing with global challenges.
Wang said that China and France both insist on independence and win-win cooperation, both oppose the division of the world and bloc confrontation, and both practice multilateralism and uphold the UN Charter and international law.
Noting that the current international situation is complex and volatile, with numerous challenges and hot spots emerging one after another, he said the international community expects China and France to form a common position and speak with same voice on major issues bearing on world peace and stability, as well as the future and destiny of mankind.
It is hoped that the French side will push the European Union to continue to pursue a positive and pragmatic policy toward China, Wang said.
For his part, Bonne said France is willing to take the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries as an opportunity to intensify high-level exchanges, deepen mutual trust, strengthen practical cooperation and strive for mutual benefit and win-win results.
The two sides should work together to cool down hot spot issues, cope with global challenges including climate change, make positive contributions to narrowing the North-South gap and rejecting bloc confrontation, and push for further development of France-China and Europe-China relations, he said.
The two sides agreed to cooperate on the development of artificial intelligence, continue to strengthen coordination on tackling climate change, and further refine the successful practice of "from French farm to Chinese dinner table," so as to provide a good environment for enterprises of both sides to invest and do business in each other's countries.
The two sides also coordinated on international and regional issues of common concern such as the Ukraine issue and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
China ready to strengthen high-level exchanges with France: Chinese FM
China ready to strengthen high-level exchanges with France: Chinese FM
Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Jagan Chapagain emphasized the critical urgency of tackling the climate crisis, which stands as one of the most fundamental challenges facing our world today, as he cited unprecedented weather patterns that have had an impact on human life and resources.
His remarks came during a Wednesday interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), coinciding with high-level talks in Washington between China and the U.S. on addressing the climate crisis, scheduled from May 7 to 16.
Chapagain stressed the need for innovative fundraising mechanisms, as he highlighted lack of funding as the most critical challenge in combating climate change.
"I mean the climate crisis, if we talk about it, it's one of the fundamental crisis the world is facing today. If we just look back the last 12 months, look at the weather pattern anywhere in the world, it doesn't resemble to anything we experienced. And it's creating a multiple impact on human life; climate and health, climate and food security, climate and water-its impact there, climate and energy. So these are multiple issues that are impacting the people living in vulnerable settings. So at the moment, being humanitarian, it is not an easy time for the humanitarians. Now, the challenge is how do we get those negotiations and turn them into action on the ground where people are actually living. And there, I think the action part is still lagging behind. The second aspect which is also lagging behind is funding, because whenever you have any decision or resolution to operationalize that, it requires funding. And this has been one of the big asks from my organization; how do we get the funding channel to the communities and the countries which need it the most? I was recently in Malawi, and I had a chance to talk to the climate minister there. And one of his main concerns was the climate funding is not sufficiently reaching the communities who need it the most. They are trying their best, but the posting is the amount available is not enough," he said.
Climate action is a key focus for Chapagain's visit to China, as he believes that collaboration with countries such as China is crucial in tackling the climate crisis.
"The second thing is even when it is available, the flow of funding is not reaching the local community level, and this is one of our major asks. Globally, it has been to channel the right level of resources reaching the people at the community. And this is one of the things during my trip here in also China. I have been discussing because China has played a significant role in COP negotiations, but also in making a huge transition, particularly on the energy transition and investing at the community level. And I believe that the partnership with countries like China is extremely important if we are to turn the tide of the climate crisis," he said.
IFRC chief urges immediate action to combat climate crisis
