BEIJING, April 21(Xinhuanet)-- French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin is paying an official visit to China and talked with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Thursday morning.

According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang at a regular press conference, Premier Wen and Raffarin exchanged views in their talks on furthering Sino-French and Sino-EU ties and on other international issues of common concern.

Both sides, during their talks, spoke highly of the developmentof Sino-French relations in recent years. China hopes that the two countries can continue to keep their current momentum in high-level visits and actively expand cooperation in economy, trade, energy, transport, aviation, agriculture and environment.

Premier Wen also proposed to establish and improve various kinds of cooperation mechanisms between the two governments, and to promote cooperation in law between the two sides based on mutual respect.

Wen and Raffarin attended a signing ceremony of 20 agreements on cooperation between China and France in such fields as agriculture, aviation and energy.

On the Europe Union's arms embargo on China, China reiterated that the embargo has become an obstacle to the development of Sino-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, and that the early liftingof the embargo will be conducive to further development of Sino-EU relations.

Raffarin also reiterated France's support for lifting the arms embargo against China. Raffarin arrived here Thursday morning on athree-day official visit to China. Besides Beijing, he will also visit Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, and Shanghai, China's economic hub.

Raffarin is scheduled to leave Shanghai Saturday, concluding his second visit to China since 2003.

Sino-Japanese ties

China hopes that Japan will take sincere and concrete actions to jointly improve and promote Sino-Japanese ties, said Qin Gang.

Qin made the remarks when asked to make comments on recent reports given by senior diplomats on Sino-Japanese relations in several Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Tianjin.

Qin said such reports were made for the public to know more about the international situation and Sino-Japanese relations.

"The friendly coexistence and win-win cooperation between Chinaand Japan are the only correct choice for the fundamental interests of the two peoples," Qin said.

Six-party talks

China will continue to mediate the new round of six-party talks, and hopes the relevant sides, especially the major parties, would show flexibility and sincerity to resume the talks at an early date.

Qin said with the purpose of safeguarding peace and stability ofthe Korean Peninsula, China has advocated the nuclear issue in the area should be resolved through dialogue, and meanwhile, the reasonable security concern of the Democratic People's Republic ofKorea should be paid attention to.

"The six-party talks are the practical and effective way to resolve the Korean nuclear issue," he said.

The spokesman said China has made efforts to resume the new round of talks, indicating that Wang Jiarui, head of the International Department of the Central Committee of the CommunistParty of China, visited the DPRK after it issued a statement, saying it would suspend participation of the six-party talks indefinitely.

Wang took a message from Chinese President Hu Jintao to the DPRK, which said that its stance remained unchanged to seek a nuclear-weapons free Korean Peninsula and to solve the nuclear issue through dialogue, said Qin Gang.

During the China visit by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, China persuaded the U.S. to create favorable condition to resume the new round of talks, and during the visit by the DPRK Premier Pak Bong Ju, China urged the DPRK to come back to talks, according to the spokesman.

The DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok Ju visited China this April and had an in-depth exchange of views with the Chinese side,he said.

"As a complicated issue, the Korean nuclear issue should be solved at the negotiating table after all, and other choices don'thelp the settlement of the issue, and are not conducive to regional stability either," Qin said.

The six-party talks involve China, the DPRK, the U.S., the Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan, and have been held three times.

Sino-Indian ties

Qin Gang said that China appreciates the stress the Indian government and leadership have put on relations with China, adding China is ready to work with India to boost ties.

Qin made the remarks when asked to comment on Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's report to the congress on Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's India visit from April 9 to 12.

Qin said Wen's visit to India was"successful." The two countries established a strategic and cooperative relationship andhad in-depth discussions over political, economic and cultural cooperation.

India and China are both powers in Asia and the largest developing countries in the world, said the spokesman, adding good cooperation between the two will not only be conducive to regionaland global peace and stability, but also to the development of the humanity.