Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, jointly met the press after talks in Paris on Monday.
"I just had fruitful talks with President Macron. We both agreed that China-France relations have a precious history, unique value and important mission. The two sides should pass on the baton of history, carry forward the spirit of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, give it a new connotation of the times, and start a new journey of China-France relations in the next 60 years," Xi said at the press briefing.
Xi arrived in Paris on Sunday for a state visit to France at the invitation of President Macron.
This is the second state visit by China's head of state to France in five years and coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relationship between the two countries.
Xi, Macron jointly meet press
Xi, Macron jointly meet press
Xi, Macron jointly meet press
Xi, Macron jointly meet press
The depreciation of the Japanese yen has pushed up raw material prices, and the rising costs is expected to bring a profound impact on companies that rely on imported raw materials, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), said a Japanese economist.
Hisashi Imai, professor of the department of business of Yamanashi Gakuin University, shared his opinions on yen depreciation, saying that SMEs may be most impacted as they are often in a disadvantaged position.
"Both SMEs and large enterprises have been affected by the depreciation of the yen, and their costs are rising. It would be ideal if SMEs could pass on cost increases to prices, and sell products at corresponding prices. But this is not the case. SMEs are often in a weak position when it comes to transactions and are therefore the most impacted," he said.
Serving as important guarantee for Japan's employment, SMEs play an important role in the Japanese economy, Hisashi said, adding that if SMEs are in trouble, there will be a chain reaction on the entire economy and social stability of Japan.
"SMEs account for 99 percent of the total number of Japanese enterprises. Currently, Japan is facing cost-pushed inflation, where the rise of imported product prices is caused by yen depreciation," he said.
Hisashi believes that if the yen depreciation continues, the Japanese economy will face greater challenges as the country's economy is highly dependent on overseas countries.
"Japan is facing a serious problem that it lacks major industries which can support the future [development]. No matter what industry it is, whether it is a SME or a large company, it should create new values. For instance, a company should develop new products or invest in new products and manufacturing. This is very important to the Japanese economy," he said.
Yen depreciation brings long-term impact to Japan's SMEs: expert
