Hollande congratulates new Chinese president

PARIS: French President Francois Hollande on Friday congratulated China's new President Xi Jinping and expressed France's wish to buttress ties with the economic superpower. Xi was named as president Thursday by China's parliament, four months after he took charge of the Communist Party with pledges of reform.

Hollande expressed France's "desire to intensify the strategic global partnership between the two countries," the Elysee presidential office said in a statement. "In a rapidly changing world, the president underlined his wish to work with the Chinese authorities in all international arenas for peace and stability," it said.

<Center><b><i>Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2013</b></i></center>