Chinese President Hu Jintao and his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy met here Thursday for talks on promoting the development of comprehensive strategic partnership between China and France.

The two leaders were to exchange views on major world and regional issues of common concern, Chinese officials said.

"In the face of complicated and profound changes in the international situation, Hu and his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, would discuss how to work together to highlight the strategic nature and the overall importance of the partnership between the two countries," said Kong Quan, Chinese ambassador to France in an interview with Chinese reporters last Monday.

"The two sides will also explore and decide ways of bilateral cooperation which lays stress on the spirit of times and creativity," he added.

The ambassador said that the two countries will sign a number of cooperation deals during Hu's visit.

Hu, who arrived earlier in the day for his second state visit to France, will attend the signing ceremony for cooperation documents following the talks, according to his schedule.

China and France have conducted fruitful cooperation in civilian nuclear energy and aviation, and the two sides are discussing how to broaden cooperation in these fields, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying said at a press conference last Thursday.

Since China and France set up diplomatic ties 46 years ago, their bilateral relationship has played a leading role in relations between Western countries and China because of its pioneering nature and strategic significance.

France is China's important trading partner in the European Union. Their two-way trade was registered at $38 billion in 2008.

Although bilateral trade fell to $34.4 billion in 2009 due to the international financial crisis, it has increased significantly since the beginning of this year. In the first nine months, the trade volume was recorded at $33 billion.

Hu paid his first state visit to the European nation in January 2004, during which Hu and French leaders agreed to lift bilateral ties to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership.

Hu met Sarkozy in Beijing last April when the French leader was on his second state visit to China. The two leaders had "candid, friendly and productive" talks on deepening the China-French comprehensive strategic partnership, and reached "many important agreements."

"China is satisfied with the overall development of bilateral relations, but we believe that our ties should reflect the change of the times," said Fu.

As France will take over the chair of the Group of Twenty (G20) in mid-November, Fu said, the two leaders will exchange views on the upcoming Seoul summit and the future development of the G20 mechanism.

According to President Hu's schedule, he will travel to Nice, the fifth largest city in France, Friday, to continue his tour of the European country.

The Chinese leader will also pay a state visit to Portugal following his France trip.

(Xinhua News Agency November 5, 2010)