At a regular news conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, the spokesperson announced that Jean-Noël Barrot, the French minister for Europe and foreign affairs, will visit China on Thursday.

The timing of Barrot's visit is significant, a year after the 60th anniversary of China and France forging diplomatic ties. The Chinese leader's state visit to France at the time set bilateral ties on a new journey, having profound and positive impact internationally.

Barrot's upcoming visit will help take China-France ties in the healthy direction charted by the two nations' leaders.

It's worth noting also that Barrot is visiting China in the year of the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and World War II as well as the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations. The international landscape facing mankind is an increasing mix of turbulence and transformation with rising instability and uncertainty, which makes it important for China and France, both permanent members of the UN Security Council and each other's comprehensive strategic partners, to strengthen collaboration.

Just as the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, it's imperative that the two nations enhance strategic communication and contribute to world peace, stability and development. Through Barrot's visit, China and France will hopefully consolidate political mutual trust, uphold openness and win-win cooperation, promote solidarity and coordination, safeguard multilateralism, jointly guard against the undertows of unilateralism and the law of the jungle, and inject more certainty into the world.

- Zhang Zhouxiang, China Daily