China, France move to patch up relations

BEIJING, April 1 (UPI) -- China and France said Wednesday they have agreed to re-establish high-level contacts in a move to repair their strained bilateral relations.

In a communique issued by Beijing and Paris, both sides acknowledged the importance of the relationship between the countries while France pledged not to change its official position on Tibet recognizing the region as "an integral part of the Chinese territory," the state-run Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

"Based on this spirit and the principle of non-interference in each other's internal affairs, France refuses to support any form of Tibet independence," the communique stated.

Relations between the nations suffered last year when French President Nicolas Sarkozy met with the Dalai Lama and Beijing responded by postponing a joint summit, the BBC said. China accuses the Tibetan spiritual leader of trying to seek independence from Chinese rule.

"The two sides stand ready to strengthen dialogue and coordination and jointly respond to global challenges, including the international financial crisis," the statement said.