French president begins China state visit

2013-04-25 63

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French President Francois Hollande arrived in Beijing on Thursday (April 25) to begin a two-day state visit to the world's second largest economy.

Accompanied by a political and business delegation of nearly 100 people, Hollande is scheduled to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang and to announce some commercial agreements.

The two sides will exchange views on China-France ties and China-EU relations, as well as international and regional issues of common concern, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said earlier in the week.

The president will also address a China-France business forum during his stay in the Chinese capital.

The two-day visit will also take him to Shanghai, where he will deliver a keynote speech at a local university on the global challenges facing France and China, according to state-run English newspaper China Daily.

Bilateral trade topped $51.02 billion U.S. dol

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