Chinese, French presidents meet in London

2009-04-01 21:51:47 GMT2009-04-02 05:51:47 (Beijing Time) Xinhua English

Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) shakes hands with French President Nicolas Sarkozy during their meeting in London, Britain, on April 1, 2009. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

LONDON, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy here Wednesday night.

"Our meeting today means a new starting point for the bilateral relations, and I hope the two sides work together to usher in a new phase in Chinese-French ties," Hu said at the start of his meeting with Sarkozy.

The two leaders were meeting ahead of a Group of 20 summit on the financial crisis, scheduled here for Thursday.

China and France said in a press communique issued Wednesday simultaneously by their foreign ministries that the two sides "attach great importance to China-France relations" and reiterated their adherence to the principle of non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

In the communique, France pledged not to support "Tibet independence" in any form.

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