AKIPRESS.COM - Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart, Francois Hollande, held talks on Wednesday to blueprint the future relationship between the two countries, Xinhua news agency reported.

Xi said Wednesday's meeting was of great significance for the China-France relationship as it will "carry forward the undertakings of the predecessors and open up a new road for future." France was the first major Western power that established diplomatic relations with China, Xi said, adding that China's relations with France have been leading its exchanges with other Western countries.

"We should draw a blueprint and lay a solid foundation for the China-France relationship to develop at a higher level in the future, and work together to open up a new era featuring a close and lasting comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries," said the Chinese president. Xi proposed that the two sides always regard each other as a strategic partner with priority, enhance mutual trust, support each other's ideas and path of development, and respect each other's core interests and major concerns.

He said the two heads of state should meet annually and interact frequently, and that the bilateral mechanisms, including strategic dialogue and high-level economic and financial dialogue, should be used to elevate the strategic communication and cooperation between the two countries. The two countries should grasp new opportunities emerging from their respective structural reform to boost their pragmatic cooperation, said the Chinese president.