Beijing, Paris to put ties back on track

China and France have pledged to restore high-level contacts following a spat¹ over Tibet, with the two nations pledging cooperation to tackle the global financial crisis.

"Both sides reaffirm the high importance of Sino-French relations and are willing to strengthen the all-round strategic partnership² on the basis of mutual³ respect and paying attention to each side's basic interests," said a joint⁴ communiqué issued by the countries' foreign ministries⁵ following many rounds of talks.

China suspended most contacts and called off a major summit with the European Union following a December meeting between French President Nicholas Sarkozy and the Dalai Lama.

Yesterday's statement said that France fully⁶ recognizes "the importance and sensitivity of the Tibet issue" and reaffirms that Tibet is an integral part of the Chinese territory.

The position, in accordance with the decision made by General Charles de Gaulle, "has not changed and will remain unchanged".

Based on this spirit and the principle of non-interference in each other's internal affairs, France refuses to support any form of "Tibet independence", it said.

"Both sides are willing to strengthen communication and coordination⁷ to jointly⁸ deal with the global challenge of the international financial crisis," it added.

The two sides also decided⁹ to engage in high-level contacts and a strategic dialogue at a proper time to enhance bilateral¹⁰ cooperation in various fields and promote the harmonious¹¹ and steady growth of China-France relations, the statement said, without elaborating.

President Hu Jintao and Sarkozy are due to attend the G20 summit in London today.

Hong Kong-based Phoenix¹² Television reported that Chinese Ambassador to France Kong Quan was heading for London and "according to common diplomatic practice, that indicates Hu will probably meet Sarkozy at the summit".

Xing Hua, a scholar on European studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said the joint communiqué suggests that Sino-French relations have recovered from "the severe damage last year".

Zhao Junjie, a senior researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said he did not find the statement surprising.

"Sarkozy has been plagued by domestic problems resulting from the economic slowdown at home and has looked to the international arena¹³ to get him out of the doldrums," he said.

"He has quite refreshing¹⁴ ideas on reforming the global financial system and fighting climate change, and urgently needed Chinese cooperation.

"So the French side needed to break the impasse¹⁵ in bilateral relations," he said, adding it is "highly possible" that Hu and Sarkozy meet at the summit.

"That will mark a formal ending of soured relations," he said.

Feng Zhongping, chief of European studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said after the latest twists and turns, France would have realized that disrespecting China's core interests is bound to hurt France's interests.

"We hope the French government learns a lesson from it."