Chinese President Hu Jintao met with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy in Toyako Wednesday on the sidelines of the Group of Eight (G8) summit's outreach session.

Hu expressed China's deep appreciation for the sympathy and aid offered by President Sarkozy and the French government in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that hit Sichuan province on May 12.

Sarkozy had conveyed his sympathies to the quake victims and visited the Chinese embassy in Paris to offer his condolences in person, while the French government provided assistance for the quake-hit regions and sent medical teams.

"We deeply appreciate this," Hu told the French leader.

He said the two countries enjoy traditionally friendly bilateral relations, which "deserve to be treasured by our two sides."

He recalled that the two sides reached a broad consensus on some major issues during Sarkozy's visit to China last November, noting that the visit has strongly pushed forward the development of bilateral ties.

China appreciates Sarkozy's adherence to the one-China policy, his opposition to "Taiwan independence" and his reiteration that Tibet is an inalienable part of China, Hu said.

The Chinese president also drew attention to the difficulties experienced in bilateral ties in the past months and called it a situation China was not willing to see.