United stand puts common interests first: China Daily editorial

The Chinese government issued 4 billion euro-denominated sovereign bonds on Tuesday in Paris, the first time since 2004, to help the latter pursue its dream of becoming an international financial center.

On Wednesday, China and France signed contracts totaling $15 billion, covering such fields as aeronautics, energy and agriculture.

French President Emmanuel Macron's three-day state visit to China, during which he attended the second China International Import Expo in Shanghai and had two meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, has certainly proved fruitful.

Yet the significance of the French leader's visit as a policy statement far outweighs the trade deals.

As China and France commemorate the 55th anniversary of their diplomatic relationship, which has risen to the level of a "comprehensive strategic partnership", Macron's visit was a timely reminder of the bonds of friendship and an opportunity to deliver a statement of joint intent.

As the first leader of any major Western country to present himself at the Shanghai Expo, Macron offered invaluable personal endorsement to a brand new platform for China to open its door wider to the outside world.

But both guest and host knew this visit was about more than just cementing their historical friendship and promoting bilateral trade.

In the words of Xi, it was a strong signal to the world that they would steadfastly uphold multilateralism.

It showed that the two countries would build a stable partnership on the big questions facing the world that is becoming increasingly destabilized, Macron said.

Not least on the challenge of climate change. The scale of which was highlighted on Tuesday by the results of a study of the past 40 years that concluded the world is confronting a "climate emergency". The United States officially began its withdrawal from the Paris climate pact the same day, hammering home the message that it has become lost in the delusion that it has some kind of magical ability to stand apart from the global predicament. It seemingly believes that American ingenuity will allow it to somehow save the day.

In a joint written statement, Xi and Macron offered a healthier dose of reality, reaffirming "their firm support" for the Paris accord which they consider to be both "an irreversible process and a compass" for strong action to address climate change.

Beijing cherishes the memory of president Charles de Gaulle, who, despite the opposition of France's allies, developed diplomatic relations with China, and positioned his country as a bridge for East-West communication.

Beijing views Macron as again putting his country in that role, and his personal commitment to engagement led to President's Xi's proposal to keep the partnership at the forefront of major-country relations.

From the space industry to climate change, the two countries have found a broad spectrum of opportunities for collaboration, and their standing shoulder to shoulder in the face of global challenges has reinforced the fact that by trying to push itself to the front the US risks ending up on the margin.