1st LD: Chinese premier arrives in France for official visit

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived here late Monday for a four-day visit to France.

It is the first official visit by a Chinese premier to the European country in nearly a decade.

During his stay in France, Li is scheduled to visit the cities of Paris, Marseilles and Toulouse, deliver a speech at the headquarters of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and attend the closing ceremony of a China-France business summit.

He is also expected to meet with French President Francois Hollande, Prime Minister Manuel Valls, presidents of the Senate and the French National Assembly, the OECD secretary-general as well as the director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

An array of business contracts and government accords on areas ranging from aviation and finance to civil nuclear power and joint development of the third-party market are expected to be signed during Li's visit.

The Chinese premier arrived here after wrapping up a trip to Belgium.

The visit comes after Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a historic visit to France in 2014 on the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, during which the two sides agreed to elevate their relationship to a close and lasting comprehensive strategic partnership.

EU statistics show that China-France trade volume hit 55 billion U.S. dollars in 2014, a 5.3-percent growth year on year. China now stands as France's eighth largest export market and sixth largest source of imports.

Li's visit also comes as China and the OECD celebrate 20 years of partnership and is expected to help the global economic organization better understand the stance of the emerging markets and developing countries. Endi