Interview: France, China should deepen cooperation to tackle global challenges, says expert

PARIS, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Ahead of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact to be held here on Thursday and Friday, French international affairs expert Bruno Guigue expected that France and China could take advantage of this opportunity to deepen cooperation to tackle global challenges.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Guigue said that China and France have a long history of working together on important issues like climate change, industrial development and public health.

"Today, we must not only build on these achievements but also step up a gear by deepening cooperation between the two countries with renewed trust. China and France have nothing to lose and everything to gain by working together," Guigue noted.

The Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron, is an opportunity to put into perspective fundamental global issues such as the fight against poverty, climate change and biodiversity, he said.

"It is now a question of changing software, of rethinking the architecture of the global financial system in order to meet the challenges of sustainable development," Guigue said, adding that given its economic significance, China has a particular responsibility in this respect.

China's contribution will make it possible to underline the urgency of a new paradigm of international economic relations, greater equity, solidarity and stability, the French expert said, adding that France and China must continue to strengthen their economic relations by striving to build more efficient supply chains.

"In business matters, it is normal for everyone to defend their interests, but everything should be done to enhance mutual benefit and promote win-win cooperation," Guigue said.

In a joint statement issued during Macron's state visit to China in April, the two countries pledged to provide a good environment for business cooperation, to improve business access to each others' markets, to improve the business climate, and to ensure compliance with intellectual property rights of all companies of the two countries.

Concerning the digital economy, for example, France is committed to processing 5G license applications from Chinese companies without any discrimination and in compliance with international laws and regulations. "This is a very positive point," Guigue noted.

Noting that both countries also agreed to continue their cooperation in the fields of climate change and energy transition, Guigue said that China and France can play a leading role in the multilateral policy in favor of energy transition.

With regard to carbon neutrality objectives, Guigue said that France is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, while China has set ambitious goals of achieving carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060.

These goals bode well for bilateral and multilateral cooperation, and China's weight in the area is having a real knock-on effect, he said.

For Guigue, the foundation of France-China relations is the recognition of the People's Republic of China by France in 1964, the first major Western country to do so.

"It's a very far-reaching political choice," he said.

"The real driving force behind cooperation between the two countries is mutual respect, mutual trust, and the recognition of the other as a true partner," he stressed. "This is why it is absolutely necessary to continue and enrich this cooperation, and to give it a new momentum."