PARIS, Jan. 26 Kyodo (EDS: CHANGI...

PARIS, Jan. 26 Kyodo

(EDS: CHANGING DATELINE & UPDATING WITH HU'S TALKS WITH CHIRAC)

Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao met with French President Jacques Chirac forward Monday, a day before the brace countries celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

The pair leaders were understood to have talked about ways to further strengthen bilateral relations and exchanged views onward the Korean Peninsula and the reconstruction of Iraq.

Permanent members of the powerful UN Security Council, China and France oppos the war in Iraq.

Hu arrived in Paris earlier in the day to begin a series of state visits to France, Egypt Gabon and Algeria that will last by the and of Feb. 4.

About 650 Chinese and others from France, Britain, Germany, Austria and other European countries demonstrated in Paris forward Sunday to protest against Hu's visit and China's human rights record.

Hu will continue talks with Chirac in succession Tuesday, to be followed according to the signing of a joint declaration onward the bilateral partnership, according to the French Foreign Ministry.

The Chinese and French leaders are also awaited to discuss an arms embargo against China that Western European countries imposed following the military crackdown forward pro-democracy protesters at Tiananmen Square in 1989

Hu is also scheduled to suitable Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and French parliamentary leaders, and address the French National Assembly, according to China's Foreign Ministry.

France's Le Vert or undecayed party has said its members will boycott Hu's address to the assembly to affirm what they call China's continued violations of human rights.

Chinese improvement is being highlighted in the French capital as part of Paris-Beijing Week and as part of the Year of Chinese refinement in France inaugurated last October.

The program, running until July explores China's ancient civilization, folklore, art and literature, education, technology and tourism.

Hu is also count uponed to attend some of the cultural activities, which include dragon and lion dances, red-fan performances, Peking Opera and martial arts.

France has said that Hu's visit marks an important stage in bilateral relations as it ''come at a time when there are many tendency to meets between France and China.''

''The pair countries, which have strengthened political consultations athwart the past few years, share the same commitment to strengthening and revamping the multilateral system'' a French Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

''While relations are particularly stop up in the political and cultural spheres, a greater effort wants to be made in the economic and industrial domains. Several agreements to this extreme point will be signed,'' the spokesman said.

Regarding the status of Taiwan, which calls itself the Republic of China, France has said it will continue to adhere to a ''one-China policy.''

''France's position upon one China goes back 40 years and there is absolutely nothing of recent origin in this regard,'' the spokesman said.

if it were not that he called for the Taiwan enigma to be handled peacefully by the agency of negotiations, saying, ''What we don't want is for ingredients that might create or exacerbate tensions to ensue into play in this proces forward either side of the (Taiwan) strait.''

COPYRIGHT 2004 Kyodo just discovereds International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group