1st LD: China, France agree to launch fund for joint cooperation with third parties

China and France agreed Tuesday to set up a mutual fund to support their joint cooperation with third parties.

The agreement was reached during visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's meeting here with French President Francois Hollande.

China-France practical cooperation enjoy unique advantages and broad prospects, Li said, adding that the two sides should tap into new cooperation areas and increase their common interests.

He suggested that the two global heavyweights jointly explore third-party markets so as to open new space for bilateral practical cooperation and help foster a sustainable global economic recovery.

The two countries, he added, should also consolidate cooperation in traditional fields like nuclear energy, aviation and space, rolling out all-production-chain cooperation and in-depth industrial cooperation and increasing the share of high-value-added and high-tech cooperation.

In addition, Li urged the two nations to expand their cooperation in such emerging areas as finance, digitalization, sustainable development, tourism and agricultural food, and thus create new sources of growth.

For his part, Hollande said that the France-China comprehensive strategic partnership has entered a new era and brought plenty of benefits to both peoples.

China's proposal on joint cooperation with third parties is very positive and conducive to all parties involved, he added. Endi