The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Xian

French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived here Sunday seeking to boost trade and bilateral ties while addressing key international issues including the environment and Iran. During the three-day state visit, his first to China since taking office in May, Sarkozy is also expected to deepen political relations between Paris and Beijing while cementing commercial links. "We would like to establish strong relations with China at a moment when relations between Beijing and certain Western countries have become more tense," an official in Sarkozy's office said ahead of the visit. The reference appears to be to ties between China and Germany damaged by Chancellor Angela Merkel's September meeting with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, whom Beijing views as a dangerous separatist.