China seeks French cooperation in fight against Covid-19
- Foreign Minister Wang Yi tells French President Emmanuel Macron that their countries should also work together to defend multilateralism
- French leader says country will not ban Huawei, but has decided not to use it to build its 5G network for security reasons
China has asked France to cooperate on developing a coronavirus vaccine and defending global multilateralism, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday after meeting President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron told reporters after the meeting that France will not ban the Chinese tech giant Huawei but would rather use Nokia and Ericsson to develop the country’s 5G network for security reasons.
He said he had told Chinese President Xi Jinping about his decision, adding “it’s normal that … we want a European solution” because of “the importance of the security of our communication,” according to Associated Press.
Wang said that China was ready to cooperate with France on nuclear power plants and in tackling the Covid-19 outbreak, according to a statement by the Chinese foreign ministry.
He told Macron that the two countries should work together on drugs and vaccine research, support the leading role of the World Health Organisation and oppose the politicisation of the pandemic.
