France and China need stronger-than-ever relations to jointly battle the logic of fragmentation and isolation as well as other global challenges, said French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot in Beijing Thursday during his first visit to China.
Barrot made the remarks when delivering a speech to faculty and students in Beijing Language and Culture University, the first stop of his two-day visit.
He also visited the university's China-France Humanities Exchange Space, which is scheduled to be launched in June.
In his speech, Barrot reviewed the history of the two countries' exchanges and emphasized the uniqueness and the importance of the relations between France and China.
He said this year, there are three priorities in France-China cooperation: to promote the resolution of international crises, humanistic exchanges and joint responses to global challenges.
"The message of my visit, as you have already understood, is simple. We need a relation between France and China that is stronger than ever. More than ever, the current situation calls for a powerful Franco-Chinese partnership in the service of geopolitical stability, prosperity and the future of our planet," he said.
He also stressed that against the current global backdrop, Europe has been more and more firmly emphasizing strategic autonomy, and he believes that Europe and China will continue to deepen partnership and overcome differences and divergences.
"What I want to tell you is that we must collectively overcome the logic of fragmentation and isolation that some people are trying to impose on us. Global challenges transcend individual interests and, more than ever, we need open, prepared, agile and enlightened minds and you've come to the right place [to find them]," he said.
"We need stronger-than-ever France-China relations": French FM
