French President Jacques Chirac said Saturday that recent talks between leaders of China and the United States will contribute to world peace and stability.
Chirac's spokeswoman said he made the comment in a 45-minute telephone conversation with Chinese President Jiang Zemin.
President Jiang called Chirac to brief him on a two-day visit to China by US leader George W. Bush that ended on Friday.
The spokeswoman quoted Chirac as saying he was glad that "a dialogue of quality is going on between the United States and China. It is in fact an important element of world stability".
President Jiang also briefed the leaders of Russia and Pakistan in calls Friday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said the development of bilateral relations between China and the United States was "beneficial for world peace and development".
Jiang and Chirac also reviewed developments in political, economic and cultural relations between China and France, the spokeswoman said.
"They agreed that our bilateral relations are very good and we should pursue the development," she said.
Their exchange focused on preparations for major cultural exchanges between France and China in 2003 and 2004.
(China Daily February 24, 2002)
