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Editorials

Rare visitors from Europe

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-28 07:49

Editor's note: The French President's trip to Beijing is expected to amend China-France relationship.

New chapters are about to be written in China's relationships with France and with the European Union.

Leaders from France and the EU are expected on separate official visits this week and are preludes to a series of high-profile meetings related to Shanghai Expo 2010.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's three-day visit shows how each side has let bygones be bygones. It could be seen as a formal announcement to the world that the China-France relationship is now back to normal. Sarkozy's trip to Beijing will also expand cooperation and broaden their relationship.

Sino-French ties hit an unprecedented low in 2008 when the Beijing Olympic torch relay in Paris was disrupted under police eyes and when Sarkozy met with the Dalai Lama. Last year, the two countries made efforts to make amends through high-level official visits.

China and France hope to revive bilateral trade that encountered negative growth last year due to the global financial crisis. The two also reportedly wish to expand cooperation in science and technology, culture and education into such new areas as low carbon and green technology. We have reasons to believe that the French leader's visit will be fruitful.

The visit by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, from April 29 to May 1, is expected to inject new vitality into the China-EU relationship.

It is our wish that Barroso's visit will chart a bright future for bilateral ties. China and the EU share common ground on a wide range of issues. Closer cooperation will allow both sides to better understand where each stands on major global issues such as climate change and reform of the global financial system. This will in turn allow each to have a greater role in international affairs.

(China Daily 04/28/2010 page8)