Asia-Pacific News
Sarkozy to visit China, stresses importance cooperation on Darfur
May 23, 2007, 15:07 GMT
Paris - French President Nicolas Sarkozy intends visiting Beijing this year, the president's office said Wednesday.
Sarkozy has received an invitation from Chinese President Hu Jintao with whom he has discussed Beijing's role as a world power in a telephone conversation, the Elysee Palace said.
'There are no solutions to problems such as Iran, Darfur and North Korea without a strong and positive contribution from China,' Sarkozy said in the statement.
The French president gave implicit support to China's claim on Taiwan by saying that France recognized just one China. Hu considered Sarkozy an 'old friend of China's,' the statement said.
China like France is one of the five members of the UN Security Council. UN Sanctions against Iran over its contentious nuclear programme are impossible without Beijing's cooperation.
Beijing supports the Sudanese government and is their biggest oil customer. At the beginning of May, Beijing announced the creation of a special envoy for Africa to attempt to resolve the conflict in Darfur.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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