In a speech delivered to a group of French businessmen, Zhu put forward a five-point proposal for furthering bilateral cooperation.

The proposal focus on expanding bilateral trade scale, cooperating in the investment sector, enhancing high-tech cooperation, expanding cooperation between small and medium-sized French and Chinese enterprises and promoting cooperation in agriculture and environmental protection.

China's exports to the European Union (EU) increased by 11 percent last year over the figures for the preceding year, but exports for the first half of this year were up only 6.8 percent year-on-year, which Zhu said was "not normal.''

Zhu hoped that dialogue and consultation between the two sides could solve the problems created by the EU's ban on the import of animal-related products from China and its increasing aggressive anti-dumping practices to increase trade volume.

French enterprises were also encouraged by Zhu to expand their investment in China, where the investment environment has been improved remarkably.

Zhu pointed out that in the high-tech field, China is devoting its attention to developing high-tech industries with information technology as the core element and widely utilizing high-tech solutions to upgrade traditional industries.

Chinese companies could learn a great deal from the wide experience of small and medium-sized enterprises in France in industrial development and company management, according to Zhu.

He also encouraged the two countries to enhance cooperation in environmental protection and agriculture.

"China has taken important steps to ensure sustainable development, has ratified the Kyoto Protocol and launched a massive campaign of environmental protection,'' said Zhu.

This has really provided a good opportunity for France, which enjoys advantages in this field, to cooperate with China, he added.

Against the background of rapidly-developing political relations between China and France, economic cooperation between the two sides has also been developing at a faster and faster rate.

The bilateral trade volume last year was US$8 billion, an increase of 40 percent over 1998's figures.

On Thursday, Zhu also met the Chairman of the Paris-based Bureau of International Expositions Gilles Noghes and the bureau's Secretary-General Vicente Gonzalez Loscertales.

Zhu said that the Central Government of China is totally behind Shanghai's application to host the 2010 World Exposition.

As China is the largest developing country in the world, the successful hosting of the fair in Shanghai will mean that the World Exposition more fairly represents all countries of the world, he said.

Noghes said that Shanghai's application work has been excellent at every stage.

After making its on-the-spot investigation in Shanghai, the bureau believes that Shanghai has the capability of successfully hosting the World Exposition, said Noghes.

The economic development and social stability in China is to the advantage of Shanghai and he highly appreciates the central government's support of Shanghai.

(China Daily September 28, 2002)