France and China should strengthen cooperation on green growth and multilateralism, former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin has said.
The idea of "firewall" can be applied to "international cooperation for the dissemination of vaccines," and will contribute to the global battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, Raffarin said in a written interview with Xinhua on Sunday, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping's proposal at the G20 Riyadh Summit to build a global "firewall" against COVID-19.
The veteran French politician stressed that unilateralism is "the negation of good world governance," as only through multilateral cooperation can global challenges be effectively dealt with.
France and China should jointly contribute to "developing the new thinking of the 21st century multilateralism," he added.
At such a critical time when the world is fighting COVID-19, Europe and China should strengthen multilateral cooperation, particularly on the African continent.
The public health crisis may help change the patterns of economic growth in some countries, he said. "We must indeed make the choice of more inclusive growth and green growth."
In his view, China and France have played a decisive role in addressing climate change under the Paris Agreement, and the two countries have broader cooperation on sustainable development.
Such cooperation "concerns in particular energy, 'smart cities,' transport, food and water services, etc.," Raffarin said.
As for the success of French companies such as L'Oreal, Schneider, Michelin, SEB and Plastic Omnium in China, Raffarin said they have great confidence in their Chinese partners.
Raffarin also voiced confidence that digital revolution "will transform our lives."
"We must indeed work together so that the consequences of this revolution are positive," he said, adding this concerns fair access to digital technology for all sections of the population.
