CHENGDU – Chinese President Xi Jinping and visiting French President Emmanuel Macron had friendly exchanges on Friday in Dujiangyan in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan province.
Upon their arrival, Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, were warmly received by Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan.
Macron arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for his fourth state visit to China since taking office in 2017.
Welcoming them to Sichuan, known as the "Land of Abundance," the Chinese leader recalled his visit last year to the Hautes-Pyrenees Department at Macron's invitation. He said he believed that Macron's visit will help deepen his understanding of China.
The Dujiangyan irrigation system is the world's only ancient irrigation project still in operation today, and also one of the earliest successful practices of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, Xi said, adding that its construction process fully reflects the Chinese nation's spirit of constant self-improvement, fearlessness in the face of hardship, and courage to forge ahead.
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The French leader also visited Sichuan University in Chengdu during the day.
In recent years, Sichuan University has established and deepened cooperative partnerships with a number of universities in France, including the Paris Institute of Political Studies, Paris Nanterre University, University of Toulouse, and the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations.
In 1981, Chengdu and the French city of Montpellier established a friendship city relationship, becoming the first pair of sister cities between China and France.
