CHINESE President Xi Jinping held a trilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Beijing on Thursday.

At the invitation of Xi, Macron arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a state visit to China through Friday.

During the meeting, Xi pointed out that the concurrent visit to China by Macron and von der Leyen demonstrates the positive desire of the EU to grow relations with China and advances the common interests of China and the EU.

In a complex and volatile world beset by the protracted Ukraine crisis, faltering global recovery, volatile financial markets and growing difficulties facing developing countries, China and the EU need to stay committed to dialogue and cooperation, uphold world peace and stability, foster common development and prosperity, promote human progress, and address global challenges together, Xi said.

Noting that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, Xi said China is prepared to work with the EU to set the right direction and tone for China-EU ties, fully resume exchanges at all levels, revitalize mutually-beneficial cooperation in various fields, and overcome disturbances and challenges, thus injecting fresh impetus into China-EU relations and global peace, stability and prosperity.

China’s top legislator Zhao Leji also met with Macron in Beijing on Thursday.

Zhao, chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said China is ready to work with France to implement the strategic consensus reached by the two heads of state, actively promote practical cooperation in various fields, and strengthen communication and coordination on major international and regional hotspot issues.

The legislatures of China and France should continue to make good use of the regular exchange mechanism to share legislative experiences, promote cultural exchanges and consolidate public support for China-France relations, he said.

Hailing the sound development of relations between the two countries, Macron said France is committed to developing relations with China independently and is willing to further strengthen cooperation in economy, trade and culture, and exchanges between legislatures.

On Wednesday, Macron attended the opening ceremony of the 17th China-France Cultural Spring art festival in Beijing. He expressed France’s readiness to create additional new cooperation projects in dance, literature, film, music and immersive digital creation, on the basis of resuming the cultural and people-to-people exchanges affected by the pandemic.

Macron will also visit Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province. (Xinhua, CGTN)