PARIS - A senior analyst with a major French think tank on Wednesday called the China-proposed Belt and Road initiative as "unprecedented", hailing its importance for world economic stability.

The initiative will be one of the most important strategic issues for France and China in the next ten years, said Pascal Boniface, director of the French think-tank Institute of International and Strategic Relations (IRIS), at the first edition of the Paris Forum on "Belt and Road".

The initiative, which has "no historical correspondents," will be "at the center of discussions" between the leaders of the two countries, Boniface said.

The "Belt and Road" is also linked to the protection of the environment, according to the analyst. He recalled that "important events have led our two countries to accelerate their relations, including the Paris climate agreement."

The China-proposed initiative is also one of the answers to multilateralism, the French expert said, stressing the need to defend multilateralism, which "may also bring Franco-Chinese collaboration."

The Paris Forum on "Belt and Road" was jointly organized by IRIS and the Chinese Embassy in France.