French president begins state visit to China

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Source: CCTV.com | 11-26-2007 08:20

French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives in Beijing Sunday afternoon for his first state visit to China since taking office in May and is warmly welcomed by Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi at the Beijing Capital International Airport. (Xinhua Photo)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has begun a state visit to China. He arrived in the capital on Sunday afternoon after a brief stop in Xi'an. Sarkozy's main goal is to boost trade and investment.

Six months since he was sworn in as the French President, China is Sarkozy's first destination in Asia. China sees France as an old friend, and the new French leader wants bilateral relations to reach a new high.

Sarkozy's aims are not just diplomatic. His visit is expected to net some ten billion Euros of deals for French-based companies, particularly Airbus and the state owned nuclear reactor maker Areva.

But the French President is also likely to touch on environmental issues. France sees a market in China for clean technologies.

Sarkozy is also concerned about the currency issue. He wants a more equitable balance between the yuan, the US dollar, the euro, and the Japanese yen.

The president will meet his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao and other top officials on Monday. On Tuesday, he will visit Tsinghua University.

Editor:Zhang Ning