China, France to resume high-level dialogue at 'appropriate time'+

BEIJING, April 1 Kyodo -
China and France, whose ties have soured since last year due to a dispute over
the Dalai Lama, have agreed to resume high-level dialogue at an appropriate
time, according to a statement issued by the two countries Wednesday.

The statement, carried by China's state-run Xinhua News Agency and France's
embassy here, comes amid French media reports that Chinese President Hu Jintao
and French President Nicolas Sarkozy are likely to meet during the day in
London where they are both attending the Group of 20 summit.
It said France ''fully recognizes the importance and sensitivity'' of the Tibet
issue, does not support Tibetan independence in any form and views Tibet as an
''integral part of the Chinese territory.''
The two sides ''decided to hold high-level contacts and strategic dialogue at
an appropriate time, promote bilateral cooperation in various fields and push
ahead for harmonious and stable development of Sino-French relations,'' it
says.
Ties between China and France had grown especially tense after French President
Sarkozy met with the Dalai Lama in December as France's head of state and as
head of the European Union.
Beijing objects to any foreign political leaders meeting with Tibet's spiritual
leader, saying he uses the platform to push for Tibetan independence.
The Dalai Lama rejects that allegation, saying he merely seeks ''meaningful''
regional autonomy for Tibet within the framework of China to safeguard Tibetan
religion, culture, language and identity.
==Kyodo