Edit: Ahmed Al-Kumi

China's President Xi Jinping today made a phone call with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, during which they discussed how to cooperate between the two countries along with a number of important issues on the world stage.

He recalls that this telephone conversation is the first between the two presidents since the formation of a defense alliance between the United States, Britain and Australia.

President Xi Jinping of China stressed that the European Union should maintain its independence in foreign policy, and hoped that France would play a positive role in relations between China and the Union.

According to one Chinese newspaper, observers said that the timing of the telephone call was important, coming before some of the events and summits expected in the coming days, including the G-20 summit and the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in the Scottish city of Glasgow.

The Chinese President explained that since last year, he and Macron have maintained contacts in various ways, in a timely manner, on key issues, and this helps to maintain the direction of Sino-French relations and inject greater stability into the world.