Xi, Macron attend closing ceremony of seventh meeting of China-France Business Council

Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron attended and addressed the closing ceremony of the seventh meeting of the China-France Business Council on Thursday in Beijing.

Noting this year opens up the second 60 years of China-France diplomatic relations, Xi highlighted that bilateral economic and trade cooperation has been continuously expanding and becoming more resilient, with total two-way trade value amounting to 68.75 billion U.S. dollars and cumulative investment exceeding 27 billion U.S. dollars in the first 10 months of this year.

Xi said the two sides must work together to seize opportunities and deepen cooperation, push for steady and sustained progress in developing bilateral ties, and jointly write a more beautiful chapter of China-France cooperation.

Xi noted that the two sides should respond to uncertainties in today's world with the stability of China-France relations.

He called on both sides to continuously expand new areas of bilateral economic and trade cooperation, keep fostering new progress in mutually beneficial China-EU cooperation, and jointly make fresh contributions to the reform and improvement of global governance.

China considers France as an important and indispensable economic and trade partner, Xi said, adding that China welcomes France to actively participate in the Chinese modernization drive and supports Chinese enterprises capable of and interested in investing and starting business in France.

Both sides must tap into the potential for cooperation in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, green and digital economy, biomedicine and silver economy, continuously promote the openness and cooperation in industrial and supply chains, and provide a fair, transparent, non-discriminatory and predictable business environment for enterprises of their respective countries, Xi said.

Noting that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the European Union, Xi said China-EU economic and trade relations, which are shaped by their mutual complementarity and are win-win in nature, are fully capable of achieving a dynamic balance in development.

Interdependency is not a risk, and convergent interests are not a threat, he emphasized.

He called for joint efforts from China and France in helping China and the EU stay committed to their comprehensive strategic partnership and ensuring that China-EU relations enjoy another brighter 50 years.

Noting that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations, Xi said he has put forward the Global Governance Initiative, after the global initiatives on development, security and civilization.

China and France must practice true multilateralism, jointly safeguard the status and authority of the United Nations, uphold the rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, and contribute positive energy to the reform and improvement of global governance. China will advance Chinese modernization in all respects and expand high-level opening up, Xi said, adding that the country welcomes French entrepreneurs to continue sharing the dividends of China's development.

About 150 representatives from the Chinese and French governments and business communities as well as those from other sectors in both countries attended the ceremony.

Xi, Macron attend closing ceremony of seventh meeting of China-France Business Council

Xi, Macron attend closing ceremony of seventh meeting of China-France Business Council

Xi, Macron attend closing ceremony of seventh meeting of China-France Business Council

Xi, Macron attend closing ceremony of seventh meeting of China-France Business Council

Xi, Macron attend closing ceremony of seventh meeting of China-France Business Council

Hundreds of Japanese residents gathered in front of the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on Thursday evening, demanding that Sanae Takaichi retract her recent erroneous remarks regarding China's Taiwan region.

At a Diet meeting on Nov. 7, Takaichi claimed that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan and implied the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait, which has immediately drawn strong criticism at home and abroad.

Holding placards and banners that read "Against war" and "Takaichi resign", the protesters chanted "We don't want a prime minister who incites war! Takaichi, withdraw your remarks immediately! The Takaichi administration must step down now!"

"Stop military expansion! Stop missile deployment immediately!" the protesters also shouted.

"What exactly is Takaichi thinking? Isn't she pushing Japan into war? I believe she must retract her statements immediately. From a diplomatic perspective, as a member of Japan's Diet, she utterly lacks basic common sense. As a Japanese citizen, I truly find her behavior shameful," said a protester.

Takaichi's provocative remarks regrading Taiwan has constituted a serious challenge to Japan's pacifist constitution and its legal obligations as a defeated country in World War II, said the protesters.

"Japan inflicted tremendous harm on Asian countries during the Asia-Pacific War [of World War II]. That is precisely why we pledged 'Never again to wage war, never again to possess weapons,' and established the crucial Article 9 of our Constitution. Therefore, we absolutely cannot accept Takaichi's provocative remarks against China," said another protester.

The Constitution of Japan was enacted in 1947 and is known as the pacifist postwar constitution. The cornerstone of the constitution is Article 9, which renounces the nation's right to engage in war or to resort to military force to resolve international conflicts.

For decades, this article has been a fundamental constraint on Japan's military endeavors.

"Japan has the pacifist constitution and must absolutely not head towards war. We must return to this fundamental principle. Takaichi must immediately stop and retract her remarks. She must apologize, resign and take responsibility for the mistake," said a Japanese protester.

Japanese residents rally, urging PM to retract erroneous remarks regarding China's Taiwan