French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has expressed hope that economic and tourism cooperation between France and China can be deepened in the context of the “Silk Road” initiatives, Xinhua reported. He made the remark at a forum organized by the French Regional Council of Haute-Normandie. According to Fabius, the initiatives of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road “open new perspectives” for green growth and will create new economic opportunities. “We need to go, China and France, together,” he said. The French foreign minister said France and China can advance their cooperation in exploring third-party markets. He also expressed hope that the French region of Normandy, an area rich in tourism and commercial resources, will benefit from “Silk Road” initiatives, seizing the opportunity of the “exponential” growth of Chinese investment and Chinese tourism. The annual number of Chinese tourists to France is expected to increase from two million to five million in the coming three years. It’s also believed that there is huge potential for growth of Chinese investment in France.
