China on importance of China-France relations

President Emmanuel Macron met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday. Xi greeted his guest on a huge red carpet lined by Chinese and French flags as the countries' national anthems played.

Macron had said that Beijing can play a "major role" in finding a path to peace in the conflict and welcomed China's "willingness to commit to a resolution". During signing ceremony, Xi said Beijing and Paris had agreed to deepen their cooperation in various fields such as aerospace and nuclear energy.

Officials and business leaders from both sides signed agreements of cooperation in areas including climate, aerospace, energy and culture. Among them was a Chinese order to purchase more Airbus planes. Macron arrived in Beijing on Wednesday and was accompanied by more than 50 French CEOs from business sectors.