Wen: Peace is a logical choice for China
(China Daily/Agencies)
Updated: 2005-12-07 06:06

Quipping that student exchanges are "more important than the purchase of 150 Airbus aircraft," he said that "if economic co-operation between our countries represents the present, cultural co-operation is the future."

On Monday, Wen announced at a joint news conference with his French counterpart Dominique de Villepin that 400 young French people would be invited to China next year as part of efforts to boost Sino-French youth exchanges in culture.

During a question-and-answer session, Wen said France must improve its offer in terms of both cost and transfer of technology if it wants to win a massive contract to build third-generation nuclear reactors in China.

"China hopes that France will offer more attractive conditions on technology transfer as well as price so that French-Chinese co-operation in this field can develop," he said.

The French company Areva is bidding for a US$8 billion deal to construct four reactors in China, but is facing stiff competition from Westinghouse of the US as well as AtomStroyExport of Russia.

Wen was due to fly south later yesterday to the city of Marseille.