French President Macron Sends Message of Friendship to Chinese Leader
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The French Senate's foreign affairs committee head, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, handed over a message of friendship from French President Emmanuel Macron to his Chinese counterpart on Monday.
Raffarin, former French prime minister, is currently participating in "One Belt, One Road" forum, which kicked off in Beijing on Sunday, uniting high-level representatives from 28 countries, Sputnik reported.
"I met with Chairman Xi Jinping this morning and delivered him a message from President Macron — friendship, respect and independence," Raffarin wrote on Twitter.
The French official pointed out that in his letter Macron declared willingness to build "the relationship of trust" with the Asian country, develop economic and cultural exchange between France and China, adding that Paris was fully endorsing the initiative aimed at developing the Eurasian ties, according to Xinhua news agency.
In 2013, Beijing launched "One Belt, One Road" aimed at strengthening ties between Eurasian countries and at development of infrastructure across the continent. The initiative focuses mainly on the Maritime Silk Route and on the land-based Silk Road Economic Belt.
On Sunday, Macron, who won the French runoff election on May 7, securing over 66 percent of votes, officially assumed the office.
