Former French prime minister Laurent Fabius delivers a speech at the second China-France Forum on Global Governance in Paris on May 2, 2024. Photo/GT Wang Wenwen

As Chinese President Xi Jinping is about to visit France as the first stop-over of his visit to three European nations, the second China-France Forum on Global Governance was held in Paris on Thursday local time with the participation of more than 100 Chinese and French experts to discuss the reform on global governance and joint building of multilateralism.

Former French prime minister Laurent Fabius in his keynote speech said the unilateralism and aggressive behavior of certain countries have posed serious threats to global security, economy and environment. As firm supporters of multilateralism, China and France must continue to be committed to the multilateralist framework, and in particular, work together to prevent nuclear proliferation. 

China and France have similar visions in global governance and look forward to finding solutions, maintaining international order and improving global governance through multilateral cooperation, said Fabius.

Wu Hailong, president of the China Public Diplomacy Association, raised up the role of the UN, which is to effectively build global consensus, mobilize global resources, coordinate global actions, so as to solve global governance issues.

Wu emphasized China’s contribution to global governance under multilateralism and called on China and France to always uphold the spirit of unity and cooperation, actively eliminate the interference of geopolitics and ideology, jointly practice multilateralism, and give full play to the responsibility and influence of major powers in global governance.

Four sub-forums themed "Multilateralism in Action: Building and Maintaining Peace," "Multilateralism in Change: Scientific and Technological Innovation and Development," "Multilateralism in Cooperation: Low-carbon Sustainable Development" and "Multilateralism in Dialogue: Exchanges and Mutual Learning among Diverse Civilizations" were held.

At the first sub-forum on “Multilateralism in Action,” Thierry Dana, a French diplomat, proposed that China and the EU should become politically powerful forces, promote the development of true multilateralism, advocate free trade, and jointly safeguard international market order.

Many participating experts raised the issue of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Feng Shaolei, director of the Center for Russian Studies at East China Normal University, said that Asia should play a key role in promoting regional economic cooperation and avoiding geopolitical conflicts. He called for a brief truce during the Paris Olympic Games to provide an opportunity to resolve regional conflicts and achieve lasting peace.

The first China-France Forum on Global Governance was held in Paris in 2019. This year’s forum was held as China and France commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The forum was jointly sponsored by the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies and China-Europe-America Global Initiative.