Chinese President Hu Jintao and his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy pledged to further promote bilateral relations during a meeting Monday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) meets with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy in New York on Sept. 21, 2009. [Li Tao/Xinhua]

Hu said his meeting with Sarkozy during the G20 summit in London in April helped bring the China-France relationship back on the track of healthy development, and good momentum has appeared recently in relations between the two countries, marked by increased high-level exchanges and a resumption of practical cooperation in a variety of fields.

All of that helped to build mutual political trust and boost cooperation between China and France in various areas, the Chinese president said.

China attaches great importance to its relations with France, and maintaining and developing a good China-France relationship is not only conducive to the fundamental interests of both countries, but also to world peace, stability and prosperity, Hu said.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. China was ready to work with the French side to review the historical experience of bilateral relations, and promote a healthy and steady development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations.

For his part, Sarkozy said he was pleased to see the rapid development of bilateral ties, and believed the France-China relationship was progressing smoothly.

Sarkozy stressed that the French-Chinese comprehensive strategic partnership was important to France, and that the French are willing to join hands with the Chinese to build a bright future for their bilateral relations.

Sarkozy said that France would actively participate in the Shanghai Expo, scheduled to open in May 2010, and hoped the Expo would be a success.

Hu said China has undertaken a package of measures to tackle the global financial crisis, which has produced tangible results, and China is confident of overcoming the difficulties to facilitate the steady and rapid growth of the Chinese economy.

With the Chinese economy beginning to stabilize and recover, there will be more opportunities and more room for economic and trade cooperation between China and France, he said.

Sarkozy said China has made important contributions to global economic growth, and has honored all the commitments it made at the G20 summit in London. China is an important force in promoting the world economy's recovery and development, he added.

Hu said the upcoming Copenhagen climate conference is an important meeting, and China wishes the meeting a success.

The president said China has adopted policies and measures to deal with climate change. It also has formulated and carried out a national plan in that regard, and has scored preliminary achievements in energy-saving and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, he said.

China is ready to continue to contribute to efforts against climate change, and to play a positive and constructive role in ensuring that the Copenhagen conference is a success, he added.

Sarkozy said that China will play a crucial role at the Copenhagen conference, and France hails China's measures against climate change. France is willing to work with China to ensure that the conference is a success, he said.

Hu and Sarkozy also exchanged views on reforming the world monetary system and other issues.

Hu arrived here Monday for a U.N. climate change summit and other U.N. meetings. He will also attend a financial summit of the Group of 20 (G20) in Pittsburgh on Sept. 24-25.

China-France bilateral trade has increased drastically and the two nations' ties have been extended and deepened since they forged diplomatic relations 45 years ago, said Kong Quan, the Chinese ambassador to France.

"In 1964 when China and France forged the relationship, the total bilateral trade volume was only some 100 million U.S. dollars, which only roughly equaled to their current daily trade volume," the ambassador said in a recent interview.

In recent years, China and France have extended their cooperation to such new fields as agricultural processing and energy saving in addition to traditional sectors such as as nuclear power, aerospace and transportation, Kong said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 22, 2009)