Han Jingyi (right), deputy mayor of Xiamen, Fujian province meets with the French Consul General in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, Siv-Leng Chhuor, on March 12. [Photo/xmfo.gov.cn]

Siv-Leng Chhuor, the French Consul General in Guangzhou, Guangdong province visited Xiamen, Fujian province on March 12 to seek further cooperation with the coastal city.

Han Jingyi, the city's deputy mayor, met with Chhuor and outlined Xiamen's economic and social development.

"Xiamen boasts beautiful natural scenery and is also a pivotal city in China's Belt and Road Initiative," Han said. "I hope this visit will further promote cooperation between Xiamen and France in various fields."

Chhuor confirmed that Xiamen is a charming coastal city and has obtained remarkable economic achievements over the past years.

She expects that the Xiamen-Nice International Carnival will be held again this year and that more other exchanges will be made between the two sister cities.

The French Consul General also visited Xiamen University's national key laboratory for the offshore ocean environment to work on details of further exchanges.

Xiamen has always maintained a close economic relation with France. Its foreign trade with France reached 7.06 billion yuan ($1.1 billion) in 2017 and France launched 40 projects worth $46 million in Xiamen that same year.