国内英语新闻:China, France enter new era of strategic partnership

BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao on Saturday wrapped up a fruitful visit to France, opening a new chapter in the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

With Hu's three-day visit to France, which started on Thursday, the heads of state and top legislators of the two countries have visited each other's country within one year for the first time.

Earlier this year, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Bernard Accoyer, speaker of the French National Assembly, visited China. China's top legislator Wu Bangguo has also visited France recently.

Such a frequent exchange of visits has been rare in the history of bilateral relations.

During his stay in France, Hu met Sarkozy on at least five occasions and the two leaders held in-depth consultations on issues concerning bilateral ties and major global affairs.

The frequency of their meetings in less than 48 hours reveals the high importance both sides have attached to this visit.

On Thursday, China and France issued a joint statement, pledging to strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

The statement stressed that China and France, both permanent members of the UN Security Council and big economies in the world arena, shoulder special responsibilities, and China-France relations should continue to play an exemplary role.

The two sides should establish a new type of partnership and should also deepen their cooperation in international affairs to jointly deal with major global threats, especially the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, said the statement.

They should also work together to address such hotspot issues as Iran's nuclear program, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the conflict in Afghanistan, it added.

The two sides have also reached consensus on such issues as fighting protectionism, combating climate change, supporting Africa's economic growth and advancing China-EU relations.

During Hu's visit, China and France signed a number of cooperation agreements, covering a wide range of areas such as nuclear energy, aviation, finance, energy efficiency, environmental protection, climate change and culture.

According to French media's estimates, the total value of the trade and cooperation agreements signed between the two nations during Hu's visit could reach 20 billion euros (about 28.1 billion U.S. dollars).