ISTANBUL
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday told Emmanuel Bonne, the diplomatic adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron, that Beijing and the EU have similar positions on a multipolar world, urging stability in the "turbulent" international situation.
At the beginning of the new year, the international situation has "undergone significant changes," with "turbulence" on the rise, Wang said in a phone call with Bonne, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
"As independent and sovereign major countries, China and France should strengthen communication and coordination, jointly inject much-needed stability into the world, and better leverage the strategic value of China-France relations," he added.
China and the EU are "partners, not rivals, a fact already proven by the fruitful cooperation achieved between the two sides over the past 50 years," Wang said.
Both sides share "similar or identical positions on many issues, including promoting a multipolar world,"he said, stressing "specific trade disputes" can be solved through dialogue.
"Under the current circumstances, it is especially important for China and the EU to strengthen dialogue, build mutual trust, and deepen cooperation," he added.
Wang expressed hope that Paris would continue to play "a positive role within the EU and promote the sound and stable development of China-EU relations," which Bonne expressed willingness for, the statement said.
Bonne, in turn, said that France attaches great importance to the comprehensive strategic partnership between France and China.
France is willing to strengthen strategic communication and coordination on major international issues, jointly address challenges, and make positive contributions to maintaining global security and stability, and promoting common development and prosperity, he added.
"The EU and China moving in the same direction and further consolidating their relationship is entirely in the interests of both sides," Bonne said.
Wang and Bonne also discussed "current hotspot issues," including the Ukraine crisis, the situation in Venezuela, and the situation in Iran, the statement added.