Chinese President Hu Jintao says China-France relations should adjust to the tide of the times by exploring and creating new areas of cooperation and enriching the content of the comprehensive strategic partnership to better benefit the peoples of the two countries and the world.

Hu made the remarks when meeting with French Prime Minister Francois Fillon here Friday morning.

Hu pointed out that 2010 was a year of significance for China-France relations. He said the two countries should increase the stability of bilateral links by respecting each other's choice of development route according to its own national situation, respecting each other's rights to maintain cultural diversity and properly handling issues involving each other's core interests.

Hu said the two countries should continuously enhance mutual trust in political terms and actively contribute to the strategic, stable and independent nature of bilateral links.

Noting that the international situation was undergoing profound and complicated changes, Hu said the two sides should jointly play an active and leading role in realizing mutual benefits and common development of major powers in the new situation.

He said the two sides should strengthen communication and coordination on major international issues, join hands in opposition to protectionism in all forms, promote recovery of the world economy, work for diversification of development modes and democratization of international relations and push forward the evolution of the international order toward the direction of greater justice and rationality.

The Chinese president pointed out that, in recent years, the two sides had achieved rich results in practical cooperation in various fields, adding that, under the new situation, China and France should respond to the call of the times in cooperation on trade, investment and technology so as to adapt to the changes in levels of each other's development.