China says seeking to deepen ties with France

BEIJING

France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot attends a session of questions to the government at the National Assembly, France's Parliament lower house, in Paris on March 19, 2025.

China said on Monday it hoped an upcoming visit by the French foreign minister would see the countries deepen cooperation in a world facing "turbulence and transformation."

France and China have sought to strengthen ties in recent years, but Paris has also pressed Beijing on its ties with Moscow, which have strengthened since the invasion of Ukraine.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot is set to visit the Chinese capital Beijing and economic powerhouse Shanghai on March 27 and 28, his first visit since becoming the country's top diplomat last year.

"The current international situation is increasingly turbulent and complex, with a notable rise in instability and uncertainty," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said, adding that Barrot will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

Beijing, he said, would use the visit "to consolidate political mutual trust."

They will also "jointly resist unilateralism and the resurgence of the law of the jungle", he added, in a veiled reference to U.S. President Donald Trump, whose return to the White House in January has rocked the international order.

At a meeting in Paris last year, Wang told French President Emmanuel Macron that Beijing appreciated his country's "independent" stance.

China says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict, which it has never condemned.