Bank of China chairman said the State-owned commercial lender hopes to further deepen cooperation with the Banque de France, France's central bank, in areas such as financial market transactions, cross-border custody and settlement agency, jointly building a financial bridge to promote economic and trade exchanges between the two countries.

Ge Haijiao, chairman of Bank of China, met with Denis Beau, first deputy governor of the Banque de France and chairman of the French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority, in Paris on Wednesday. Ge said BOC will actively play its role as the Chinese chair of the Council of China-France Entrepreneurs and continuously deepen its distinctive business services in France.

Denis Beau said the Banque de France has attached great importance to the Chinese market and Bank of China's strategic layout in Europe in recent years. He hopes to further strengthen communication and exchanges between the two sides in various fields, injecting new impetus into the economic, trade and financial cooperation between the two countries.

Next year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. During a speech at an exchange meeting on China-France economic cooperation on Wednesday local time in Paris, Ge said the leaders of China and France held talks in April, pushing the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries to new heights.

As the first Chinese financial institution to enter the French market and provide long-term services for China-France economic and trade exchanges, BOC will continue to uphold its responsibilities as a large State-owned commercial bank and fully utilize its roles as the Chinese chair of the Council of China-France Entrepreneurs and president of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China, he said.

The bank will seize development opportunities and, together with enterprises from both countries, maintain the achievements of bilateral economic and trade cooperation through a variety of ways such as innovative forms of cooperation, deepening information integration and sharing, and strengthening cooperation in low-carbon transformation, he said.

BOC's overseas institutions now cover 63 countries and regions. In 1986, Bank of China Paris Branch was officially established, becoming the first Chinese-funded financial institution in France.

Over the years, Bank of China Paris Branch has actively participated in major China-France cooperation projects, providing comprehensive support for Chinese companies going global and French and European companies entering the Chinese market.