French President Jacques Chirac has met visiting Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan, wishing for more cooperation between Chinese and French Defense Ministries.

Their meeting on Wednesday followed talks between Cao Guangchuan and his French counterpart Michele Alliot-Marie.

Chirac hoped that relationship between the French and Chinese military could develop in the spirit of the global strategic partnership between the two countries.

He mentioned notably the medical field and the cooperation of participation in UN peace-keeping operations.

Cao Gangchuan said a closer Sino-France tie is in the fundamental interests of both peoples as well as to world peace, stability and prosperity.

This meeting came 10 days after Chirac's state visit to China. Just before his trip to China, Chirac had urged the lift of EU arms embargo on China after 1989, saying it belonged to "another time".

(CRI October 21, 2004)