Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and French Finance Minister Roland Lescure on Monday held in-depth discussions in Paris on recent developments in China-France economic and financial cooperation and other issues of common concern, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Amid rising global uncertainties, the meeting reflected the huge room for expanding and strengthening pragmatic bilateral cooperation, as well as cooperation between China and Europe as a whole, observers said. They pointed out that as China and France share consensus on maintaining multilateralism in trade and the global economic order, such cooperation is not only beneficial for both sides but also will inject much-needed certainty into global industrial chains.

He, who is the Chinese lead person in the China-France High-Level Economic and Financial Dialogue, said that China is ready to work with France to implement the important consensus reached by leaders of both countries. He called for further deepening of exchanges and cooperation in the economic and financial fields, and for promoting the steady and sustained development of bilateral economic relations, according to the Xinhua report.

He also briefed the French side on the China-US economic and trade talks held earlier in the day.

Lescure, who is France's lead person in the dialogue, said that France attaches great importance to cooperation with China and is willing to work with the Chinese side to advance pragmatic cooperation in the economic and financial fields and achieve greater progress, the report said.

The meeting was the latest high-level dialogue between China and France under the strategic guidance of head-of-state diplomacy, following French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to China in December. During the visit, the leaders of China and France jointly witnessed the signing of multiple cooperation documents on nuclear energy, agriculture, food, education and the environment after their talks in Beijing.

"The discussion shows that both sides attach great importance to bilateral relations, as well as China-Europe relations, and that both sides look to expand the areas of pragmatic cooperation, build more stable supply chains for enterprises in both countries, and provide effective support to jointly counter the impact of trade protectionism," Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

According to Zhou, the cooperation also reflects China's consistent position in discourse with other countries, which is based on respecting partners and engaging in dialogue based on each side's respective needs.

Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that exchanges between China and France have shown a benign and positive momentum, which offers a model and valuable experience for other European countries.

"The impact extends beyond the bilateral and immediate level, and is expected to exert a positive influence on China's ongoing interactions with European nations," Zhou said.

The China-France High-Level Economic and Financial Dialogue stands as one of the most effective mechanisms for deepening cooperation between the two countries in trade, investment, and finance, according to analysts.

It is expected that during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period, China's comprehensive advancement of Chinese modernization and high-level opening-up will bring significant dividends to French enterprises, according to Cui.

In traditional areas of strength such as nuclear energy, aviation, and aerospace, both sides can leverage the new circumstances to promote industrial transformation and upgrading. Meanwhile, in emerging fields such as batteries, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, and the digital economy, China and France already share a solid foundation of consensus, offering tremendous potential for cooperation, he said.

Zhou highlighted promising sectors for expanded collaboration, including agriculture and new-energy vehicles, where both sides possess strong complementarities and shared interests.

China-France economic and trade cooperation in various fields has achieved fruitful results, fully playing the role of a "ballast stone" and "propeller" in bilateral relations, according to China's Ministry of Commerce. From January to October last year, bilateral trade reached $68.8 billion, up 4.1 percent year-on-year. Two-way investment has grown steadily, with the total investment exceeding $27 billion.