China and France have signed 18 cooperation agreements between government agencies, covering areas such as aviation, agriculture, people-to-people exchanges, green development and SME cooperation during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to France.

At the closing ceremony of a key business council meeting in Paris on Monday, the Chinese top leader vowed to enrich the economic and trade dimensions of the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership, open the Chinese market wider to create more opportunities for companies from France, Europe and beyond, while urging China and France to jointly oppose attempts to turn business relations into political, ideological or security issues.

The remarks and cooperation agreements underscore China's open and cooperative attitude, as well as its sincerity and goodwill to foster China-France and China-Europe cooperation and represent a positive signal for European entrepreneurs and a stabilizer to China-Europe trade ties against decoupling push, experts said.

China will work with France to enrich the economic and trade dimensions of the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership, deepen China-Europe mutually beneficial cooperation, and remains ready to join hands with France to tackle global challenges, President Xi made the remarks at the closing ceremony of the sixth meeting of the China-France Business Council in Paris local time Monday.

China will further open up the service sector including telecommunication and medical services, and open its market wider to create more opportunities for companies from France, Europe and beyond, Xi said, according to a readout released on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website.

Xi also said that China and Europe are two major forces in building a multipolar world, two big markets that promote globalization, and two great civilizations that advocate cultural diversity.

China-Europe relations are crucial for peace, stability and prosperity of the world. The two sides should always define China-Europe relations as a comprehensive strategic partnership, continue to enhance political mutual trust, remove various distractions, and jointly oppose attempts to turn business relations into political, ideological or security issues, Xi said.

Xi's speech sent a clear signal that China's market is open and inclusive, and that China seeks mutual achievements and win-win cooperation with France and the EU, Zhang Jian, a vice president of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The remarks played a significant role in promoting stable, long-term cooperation between China and France as well as China and Europe against decoupling pushes, Zhang said.

New stage of cooperation

Some key highlights of economic and trade cooperation include collaboration in agriculture, artificial intelligence (AI) and green development.

In terms of agricultural cooperation, China will continue to make full use of the "French farm to Chinese dining table" whole-chain rapid coordination mechanism, and bring more cheese, ham, wine and other quality agricultural products from France to the dining tables of Chinese families.

In terms of AI cooperation, China and France have agreed to enhance global governance of AI to promote the development of AI for the public good and effectively address the risks associated with AI, according to a joint statement.

China also signed agreements with French departments to deepen collaboration in green development and aviation.

The deals highlight the successful progress of traditional cooperation projects between China and France. At the same time, they also point to great potential for new areas, innovative models, fostering growth in various sectors, experts said.

"The economic and trade achievements of this visit are very fruitful, reflecting the upgrading and expansion of China-French economic and trade cooperation on the existing basis," Cui Hongjian, a professor with the Academy of Regional and Global Governance with Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Although nuclear energy and aerospace industries have become landmark projects of China-French economic and trade cooperation over the years, the cooperation directions covered in the deals have expanded into some new areas, offering new opportunities, Cui said.

The 18 agreements signed during the state visit were thrilling as they precisely identified the key aspects of development between China, France and Europe, which include high-tech collaborations and green development, Zhao Junjie, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of European Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Zhao said there is potential for France and the EU to increase collaboration with China in high-end technology and agricultural products, as the increasing living standards and purchasing power of Chinese people align with this trend.

The signing of the deals comes as China and France are celebrating the 60th anniversary of China-France relations, during which the trade ties between the two sides have flourished.

The bilateral trade has expanded by nearly 800 times since the establishment of diplomatic relations, reaching $78.9 billion. Cumulative two-way investment has exceeded $26 billion. More than 2,000 French companies have woven themselves into the fabric of the Chinese market. China is the largest trading partner of France outside the EU, and France is a major EU trading partner of China.

Rejection of decoupling

The collaboration between Chinese and the French business sectors also demonstrates a rejection of the decoupling efforts pushed by the US. This collaboration is anticipated to pave the way for a positive and mutually beneficial relationship between China and Europe, experts said.

French companies are interested in collaborating with Chinese companies in various fields, despite the push of decoupling and cutting off industrial chains from the US, they said.

A survey of French companies in China conducted by the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China in 2023 showed that members' willingness to operate in China over the coming three years had increased, with 47 percent saying they planned to further invest in the Chinese market.

Practical cooperation between China and France is a key aspect of China-EU relations, and it contributes positively to fostering mutually beneficial partnerships between China and Europe, Cui said.

While Europe may face competitive pressures from China in some areas, it is essential to manage this competition in a healthy and constructive manner and turn it into opportunities for cooperation between China and Europe, Cui said.

"Efforts should be made to control the competition within a reasonable range and prevent it from spilling over. At the same time, both sides can use their complementary advantages and form a strong alliance in third party cooperation," Cui said.

It is important for the European side to recognize the benefits of economic and trade cooperation between China and Europe, rather than resorting to tactics of suppression toward China, which could harm the stability and development of both parties, Zhao said.

"It is crucial for Europe to adhere to its own principles and cultivate its own strengths in certain market sectors," Zhao said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived here Sunday for a state visit to France.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay state visits to France, Serbia and Hungary from May 5 to 10 at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron of the Republic of France, President Aleksandar Vucic of the Republic of Serbia and President Tamas Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying announced on Monday, a trip that experts believe is expected to shape the future of relations between China and Europe.

The visits show that both China and Europe are striving to explore the space and prospects of cooperation in an era when major power strategic competition intensifies and geopolitics returns, Chinese and European experts noted.

The visits will inject momentum for the further development of China-Europe relations, showcasing that the two sides can maintain positive interactions and mutually beneficial cooperation transcending traditional geopolitics, experts said.

This will be the first overseas tour of the Chinese president this year. It is also the first time that the Chinese top leader visits Europe in nearly five years. It underlines the fact that the Chinese leadership attaches great importance to Europe and highlights the prominent position China places on Europe in its global strategy and foreign economic policy, Xin Hua, director and chair professor of the Center for European Union Studies, Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times.

Xi's visit to France, the first in five years, comes as this year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. In January, the Franco-Chinese year of cultural tourism was launched and a series of events will be held in both countries to celebrate cultural cooperation.

Pierre Picquart, an expert in geopolitics and human geography from the University of Paris-VIII, told the Global Times that France's long tradition of diplomacy and openness to international relations and its early recognition of the economic potential of China as an expanding market and as an important trading partner made France the first major Western country to establish diplomatic relations with China. 

As France has significant influence on relations between Europe and China, "by choosing France as the first stop of his European tour, President Xi is sending a strong message about the importance of China-Europe cooperation and his commitment to multilateralism and dialogue diplomacy," Picquart said.

In a telephone call with the French president's Diplomatic Counselor Emmanuel Bonne on Saturday, China's top diplomat Wang Yi said that China stands ready to strengthen high-level exchanges with France, give play to the leading role of head-of-state diplomacy, and add new connotations to the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Xi will hold talks with French President Macron to have in-depth exchange of views on China-France relations, China-EU relations and international and regional hotspots of mutual interest, according to Lin Jian, a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday. 

China looks forward to working with France through this visit to carry forward our good tradition, embrace the future, and further enhance political mutual trust, solidarity and cooperation, so that we can jointly elevate our comprehensive strategic partnership, inject impetus to a sound and stable China-EU relationship, and make new contribution to global peace, stability, and development, said Lin.   

Zhao Yongsheng, director of the French Economic Studies Center at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, told the Global Times that during the visit, China and France may sign a number of cooperation agreements in areas such as nuclear energy and agriculture. 

According to Reuters, France's Airbus is in talks with China over a potential major aircraft order. 

Xi will also visit Serbia and Hungary.

The China-Serbia partnership is frequently hailed as a paradigm of excellence within the cooperation framework of China and Central and Eastern European countries and the BRI. Friendship with Serbia can be traced back to engagement with former Yugoslavia countries. Both sides have pursued an independent development path and share common ground in many international affairs.

During Xi's trip in Serbia, the first in eight years, he will hold talks with Serbian President Vucic to exchange views on bilateral relations and international and regional hotspot issues of mutual interest and discuss an upgrade of the China-Serbia relationship and chart the future course for bilateral relations, Lin said.  

Zivadin Jovanovic, president of the Belgrade Forum for a World of Equals who served as the minister of foreign affairs of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia between 1998 and 2000, told the Global Times that a number of new agreements concerning future cooperation is expected to be signed during Xi's visit, opening a new stage of cooperation featuring innovation and high-quality standards matching the strategic comprehensive partnership. 

The visit to Hungary coincides with the 75th anniversary of China-Hungary diplomatic relations. During the visit, Xi will hold talks with President Sulyok and Prime Minister Orban about China-Hungary relations and issues of mutual interest. This milestone visit will elevate bilateral relations to a new height, open a new chapter in China-Hungary friendship and cooperation, inject impetus to China-EU relations and provide elements of stability and positive energy to a turbulent world, said Lin. 

Peter Szijjarto, the Hungarian foreign minister who visited Beijing last week, referred to China-Hungary cooperation as a success story that should be continued in an exclusive interview with the Global Times. He believes that Xi's upcoming visit provides answers to the effort and energy that Hungary has put to improve its relationship with China.

Levente Horvath, director of Eurasia Center of John von Neumann University and chief advisor to the governor of the Central Bank of Hungary, told the Global Times that during Xi's visit, the current comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Hungary can rise to a new, higher quality level. 

Extensive engagement, easing concerns

French President Macron, who pledged to visit China at least once every year while in office, visited China last year. Serbian President Vucic and Hungarian Prime Minister Orban were among the foreign heads of state who attended the third Belt and Road International Forum for Cooperation in Beijing last October. 

A broader series of high-level engagements between China and the EU have been observed since the start of this year. 

In January, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo embarked on his first trip to China since taking office and signed with China a number of cooperation documents on the economy, trade, agriculture and food. In late March, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte paid a working visit to China, during which he expressed willingness to deepen partnership in areas such as economy and trade. In April, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz traveled to China, accompanied by three federal ministers and a business delegation. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is also reportedly planning to visit China later this year.

Szijjarto, the Hungarian foreign minister, sees the actions taken by some European countries against China as "hypocritical." 

"I think everyone knows deeply in his or her heart that China offers a huge chance, but many of them are simply not brave enough to speak about it openly, because the expectation of the liberal mainstream is somewhat totally different," he said.

The "liberal mainstream" appears to be the de-risking narrative proposed by the European Commission in its policy framework toward China last year, which has since then become a buzzword which echoes Washington's "decoupling from China" rhetoric. Nonetheless, the EU's adoption of "de-risking" measures against China has hurt its relations with China.

Last year, the EU launched an anti-subsidy investigation into electric-vehicle imports from China. Recently, the European Commission launched a probe into Chinese public procurement of medical devices, following an unprecedented probe in February into a Chinese trainmaker for allegedly using subsidies to undercut European suppliers.

Yanis Varoufakis, former minister of finance of Greece and now Professor of Economics at the University of Athens, views the EU as a spoilt child that fails to acknowledge its erroneous under-investment but blames China.

"The EU is toying with trade barriers to the importation of the very green technologies (e.g., solar, electric vehicles) that it desperately needs for its green transition - and which it lacks the capacity to produce economically in Europe," Varoufakis told the Global Times. 

The EU is the largest recipient of Chinese EVs, accounting for nearly 40 percent of China's electric vehicle exports, according to media reports. Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce of China, said during his trip to France in early April that the accusations of "overcapacity" by the US and Europe regarding Chinese EVs are groundless.

Xin Hua, the Chinese expert, pointed out that in the field of electric vehicles, there is a certain degree of competition between China and Europe, which is normal. If Europe continues to uphold the concepts of economic globalization and trade liberalization, it does not need to worry too much about China's electric vehicle industry. At the economic and trade level, although there is competition between China and the EU, overall the benefits brought by cooperation to both parties will be far greater than the benefits that the two sides compete for. Therefore, Europe should view China as an opportunity rather than a challenge, Xin noted.

He believes that Xi's upcoming visit can help ease Europe's concerns about China to a certain extent and mitigate Europe's tendency of "de-risking" from China.

Washington watches from afar

During Macron's China trip last year, his calling for "strategic autonomy" on the Taiwan question has been considered a rational and independent thinking by many China watchers and also triggered heated discussion within Europe.

On Thursday, he once again appealed for stronger, more integrated European defenses and said the continent must not become a vassal of the US, as he outlined his vision for an independent Europe in a speech at Sorbonne University in Paris.

His remarks came as the continent is still mired in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, a "trap of its own making" that Europe has no ability to pull itself out of, as Varoufakis said. 

According to the European Investment Bank, the Ukraine crisis has disrupted trade and aggravated inflation for basic goods like energy, food and metals in Europe.

News organization Politico reported that the European tour of President Xi will be closely watched in Washington. Varoufakis believes that the visit will offer European governments the opportunity to demonstrate that they have retained something of a capacity to look after their countries' interests rather than following Washington's orders.

Sun Keqin, a research fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times that the Russia-Ukraine conflict has made Europe realize its high dependence on the US, and this transatlantic relationship has jeopardized Europe's China policy. If Europe continues to follow the US to view China from a security and ideological perspective and takes a confrontational approach toward China, it will not avoid the fate of being a US vassal.

"Europe still retains a certain degree of autonomy," said Sun, adding that cooperation with China in economy and trade and common global challenges will demonstrate Europe's responsibility as a main pillar of the world.

The Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, the world's tallest wooden pagoda also known as the Sakyamuni Pagoda of the Fogong Temple, in Yingxian County, North China's Shanxi Province, embraced its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered "digital twin" on Friday, enabling visitors to immerse themselves inside the tower - including places which the public were previously unable to access - through virtual reality (VR) glasses.

It is a latest example of how the fast-track development of AI is bringing significant changes to cultural heritage protection. Industry insiders expect the wider application of the technology to assist researchers in their studies on Chinese cultural heritage items, injecting new impetus into the country's booming cultural tourism.

"It's like travelling to the digital replicas of the Wooden Pagoda, but at a parallel time when it was built. When you 'walk through' different floors of the tower, [Chinese architect] Liang Sicheng [who discovered the building] is also delivering an introduction and speaking to you," a tour guide told a group of visitors who were queuing up at the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda's exhibition hall to experience the "digital twin."

Built in 1056 during the Liao Dynasty (916-1125), the Wooden Pagoda has a history dating back almost 1,000 years. It is now the world's oldest and tallest wooden structure, at a height of around 66 meters, equivalent to a 23-story building. As the pagoda has withstood several earthquakes and artillery attacks in history, it is now visibly tilted. To ensure its conservation, visitors since 2010 were not allowed to access higher than the second floor.

The Global Times experienced the digital replicas and found some intriguing details. For example, immediately when the tourists "advanced" to the fifth floor, they could see the entire wooden tower being transformed into transparent space with transparent bracket arches, which helps them to appreciate the complicated wooden structure inside.

"The digitalization project is a phased breakthrough thanks to the development of AI that helped solve the modeling problem. It is a long-standing issue in the protection of historical wooden tower, which has a more complex structure than other historical buildings," Liu Chang, director of the Institute of Architectural History and Cultural Relics Protection under Tsinghua University's School of Architecture, said at a panel discussion on Friday after the digital replicas were unveiled.

Creating 'digital twin'

There are several steps in creating the "digital twin," Lenovo, who provides technological support to the project, told the Global Times. The digitalization project was jointly launched by the Yingxian local government, Tsinghua University's School of Architecture and Lenovo.

The first is to collect data specific to the Wooden Pagoda using drones and cameras, then process and analyze those data through AI algorithms, and train it through deep learning and neural networks to help it understand three-dimensional spatial information. 

After this step, the AI model, along with other modeling tools, constructs a digital twin that rapidly and accurately reproduces three-dimensional spatial information. Then, the model is integrated with extended reality technology to make a seamless switch between the virtual world and the reality.

During the process of project development, over 15 million polygons base materials were utilized, nearly 60,000 lines of unity programming were completed, and models were manually rendered to a size of 4.2 gigabytes, Lenovo said, reflecting AI's leading role and exemplary significance in the industry.

Mao Shijie, vice president of Lenovo and head of Lenovo Research Shanghai, told the Global Times on Friday that it took only about 10 hours to process data for the AI algorithm and then present the 3D model, compared with the traditional modeling that could take many engineers months to complete the job.

"The most pivotal role [of AI] is its information extraction and deduction capacity, which paves way for further research efforts. Though a lot of information about the wooden pagoda has been collected, some remain untapped, and this is where AI could assist us - [providing estimated] data on its original design and enhancing our understanding on its status in different time," Wang Xiaolong, deputy director of the Shanxi Institute for the Conservation of Ancient Buildings and Colored Sculpture Murals, said during a panel discussion.

"Over the past four years, the upgrade of AIGC technology is very fast, with particular advancement in improving the accuracy. And what we aim in the future is to support the process of larger amount of data with smaller hash rate, and further elevate the replication accuracy of the pagoda's details," Mao explained, referring to AI-generated content.

Industry insiders also expected the expanding data processing capacity and wider innovative application of AI to bring "unprecedented new opportunities" for the protection of cultural relics industry. For example, AI algorithms could also be used to help researchers read and interpret ancient books, and identify key manuscripts, they noted.

Cultural tourism boom

The "digital twin" project was launched just days ahead of the five-day May Day holidays which fall on May 1-5. Local officials expect that the project could draw in more tech-savvy tourists to visit the Yingxian county and fuel a further tourism boom.

"It provides an interactive experience that satisfies the public's curiosity and thirst for knowledge, ensuring the effective preservation of cultural heritage while it is being properly displayed," Mao said.

Data from various travel platforms underscored that China's tourism market will continue to maintain a strong recovery during the upcoming May Day holidays, which starts on May 1. 

According to a report released by the Shanxi provincial tourism authority in April, the daily number of tourists to Shanxi during the three-day Qingming Festival, which started on April 4, surpassed the four-day New Year's holidays, which started on December 30, 2023, making it one of the hottest travel destinations in the central region of the country.

China reported about 119 million domestic tourist trips during the three-day Qingming Festival holidays, with a gross spending of 53.95 billion yuan ($7.46 billion). The two measurements have all surpassed 2019 levels. 

China will carry out three Chang'e lunar probe missions within next four years and the basic form of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS,) the international moon base project currently led by the China National Space Administration and Russia's ROSCOSMOS, is expected to be completed before 2035, Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration project, revealed during a speech at the ongoing China Space Conference in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province. 

Wu, who is also the chief scientist and director of China's Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL,) and an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, remarked at the annual space conference to mark the Space Day of China on April 24 every year that as an important task during the basic construction phase of the ILRS, Chang'e-6 mission will be launched soon to complete a sampling mission and return from the lunar far side; Chang'e-7 is scheduled for launch around 2026 to conduct environmental and resource surveys at the lunar south pole; Chang'e-8 is planned for launch around 2028 to conduct in-situ resource utilization experiments on the moon.

In recent years, China's space technology capabilities have made significant strides, establishing major infrastructure for deep space exploration and establishing cooperation with multiple countries worldwide, all of which lay a solid foundation for the construction of the ILRS.

Following the principles of "overall planning, step-by-step implementation, and building while using," the construction of the ILRS will be carried out in two phases. 

By 2035, the basic version will be completed, centered around the lunar south pole, with comprehensive scientific facilities equipped with basic functions and elements, conducting regular scientific experiments and a certain scale of resource development and utilization. 

By 2045, the expanded version will be completed, with the lunar orbit station as the hub, featuring fully equipped and substantially scaled facilities, stable operations, while conducting comprehensive scientific research on the moon and in-depth resource development and utilization, and conducting technical verification and scientific experiments related to a manned mission to Mars.

The ILRS consists of lunar surface, lunar orbit, and ground segments, comprising infrastructure such as energy and power systems, command and information systems, and lunar transportation systems, with functions including energy supply, central control, communication and navigation, lunar-earth transportation, and lunar surface research, enabling long-term and sustained scientific exploration, resource development, and technology verification across multiple disciplines and objectives.

The ILRS, initiated by China and Russia, is being jointly developed and constructed by multiple countries, with long-term autonomous operation on the lunar surface and in lunar orbit, with short-term human participation, as an expandable, maintainable comprehensive scientific experimental facility. 

Wu also revealed that China plans to launch the Tianwen-2 mission around 2025, to carry out flyby exploration and return samples from a small asteroid located about 40 million kilometers away from Earth. Around 2030, Tianwen-3 is planned to be launched to execute a sample return mission from Mars, Wu said.

"Currently, looking at the progress of various countries around the world, our country is expected to become the first country to return samples from Mars," Wu remarked. 

China has begun planning the construction of the world's first Mars sample laboratory and is also deepening the feasibility study of the Tianwen-4 mission, aiming for the exploration of Jupiter and its moons, followed by the arrival at Uranus, according to Wu.

"The probability of an asteroid impact on Earth is extremely low, but the consequences would be enormous," Wu said, noting that in history, asteroids have struck the Earth multiple times, resulting in major disasters such as the extinction of dinosaurs. 

China has initiated an asteroid defense plan and is expected to implement a kinetic impact on an asteroid located tens of millions of kilometers away around 2027, altering its orbit and conducting impact assessment in orbit, aiming for precision, effectiveness, and clear evaluation, he said.

Wu disclosed that in the middle of this century, China plans to launch a new type of propulsion spacecraft, reaching the boundary of the solar system at 80-100 astronomical units (AU), conducting scientific exploration in the distant, dark, and cold unknown regions, aiming to establish new milestones in humanity's understanding of the universe.