France Working with China to Resolve Global Issues: Ayrault

(Beijing) – France is working closely with China, which assumed the presidency of the G-20 group for 2016, to cut funding sources of terrorist groups, says French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault in an email interview with Caixin shortly before his visit to the country on May 16.

"The fight against the financing of terrorism is a major aspect of our comprehensive approach to combating this scourge," he said. "That requires sustained cooperation … within the G-20, the G-7 and the United Nations. If it is to be effective, our efforts need to be coordinated globally. We are working closely in this sense with China, under its G-20 Presidency."

Commenting on the health of Sino-France ties Ayrault said: "Relations between France and China are excellent, at political level as well as for our economies and businesses. Together, we build aircraft and nuclear power plants, we create joint academic institutes, while French businesses receive Chinese investment and France is visited by 2 million Chinese tourists every year."

He also said that China had a strategic role to play to resolve many pressing global issues such as defusing nuclear tensions in the Korean Peninsula and curtailing emissions to reduce global warming.

The following are excerpts of Caixin's interview with Ayrault.

Caixin: Many Chinese are expected to travel to France to watch the European Championship soccer games in summer. France is still in a state of emergency after the Paris attacks. How will this affect foreign tourists?

Jean-Marc Ayrault: The growth of Chinese interest in football is quite remarkable, so it is completely natural that a number of Chinese fans have decided to attend UEFA matches. I welcome that, as it will also be an opportunity for them to discover France, the French people and our rich heritage.

The reception of our foreign visitors goes hand in hand with the constant concern for ensuring their safety. The state of emergency is a legislative arrangement which allows us, for example, to enhance checks in public places. The police and army are also actively ensuring security. This arrangement has shown its effectiveness since November, including during COP21, and the experience of foreign visitors to France was not affected.

Generally, international tourists have shown their love for France by returning after a slowdown in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. The Chinese were some of the first to return. In 2015, we saw an extraordinary growth in the number of Chinese visitors, with a 30-percent rise compared to 2014.

In the fight against the Islamic State group, you said recently that "the terrorist forces are in retreat" due to U.S.-led coalition airstrikes in which France has participated. However, it seems that over the past one year more cities have been terrorized by IS. What is France's strategy to defeat this terror outfit?

We are making a military contribution to the fight against terrorism in Syria and Iraq. In these theatres, Daesh (the Arabic term for IS) is clearly losing ground and is on the defensive. We are also facing a terrorist threat on our territories, which draws on the presence of Daesh in Syria and Iraq. When we combat Daesh there, we therefore improve our own security and the protection of our territory. That is the idea of our intervention.

During the G-7 foreign ministers meeting in Japan, you said that the fight against terrorism should be intensified on the financial front as well. Could you elaborate on this?

The fight against the financing of terrorism is a major aspect of our comprehensive approach to combating this scourge. Daesh has financial resources unrivalled by other groups, despite a major downturn (US$1.3 billion in 2015, compared to US$2.9 billion in 2014). Its sources of funding are varied, including oil smuggling, human trafficking, extortion, trafficking in cultural goods, and donations from sympathisers. We need to attack each of these sources of finance. That requires sustained cooperation at European level, in particular to enhance the European terrorist asset freeze arsenal, as well as within the G-20, the G-7 and the United Nations. If it is to be effective, our efforts need to be coordinated globally. We are working closely in this sense with China, under its G-20 Presidency.

You have called for a reform to the Schengen area, saying it was not prepared for a refugee crisis on the scale seen now. What specific measures do you have in mind for the reform?

The Schengen area was conceived as an internal area of free movement. We now need the means to address the threats that have developed in Europe's neighbourhood. France has therefore proposed to its European partners a reform of the Schengen area, to gain means of monitoring and controlling Europe's external borders, such as through the establishment of European border and coast guards. The challenge for Europe is to remain an area of peace and security, open to foreign visitors but closed to threats. For Chinese tourists and business travellers, it is however getting easier and easier to obtain Schengen visas – and France is a pioneer in this area.

Some argue that France was attacked repeatedly by terrorists partly because the French government failed to deal with Muslim migrants properly. What's your view on that?

The terrorist threat, particularly that inspired by jihadism, remains at a high level in France. Our police and intelligence services are very active in counter-terrorism. Operational cooperation between intelligence services at European level is very intense, and has increased further in recent months. But we know there is no such thing as zero risk. This threat can only be eliminated through long-term action, combining counter-terrorism and prevention of radicalization. As the President of the French Republic has said, the enemy is complex and difficult to fight, but not invincible. We are doing our utmost.

The jihadist terror threat is linked to a great many factors which cannot be studied through simplistic analysis. For example, we know that there are also young radicalized converts, who are not of immigrant origin. It is therefore a complex phenomenon, which isn't specific to France and which cannot be dealt with from the sole angle of integration policy, although the latter is a major aspect of combating radicalization. More generally, we need to ensure young people have prospects, as young people without a future are more vulnerable to extremism.

How is France dealing with the refugee crisis?

To cope with the massive influx of refugees, France and its European partners have committed to taking in refugees in their territory. But managing the refugee crisis also requires support for EU countries that are most affected, such as Greece, which we are supporting on the humanitarian, technical and human fronts. It also requires support for refugees in third countries, such as Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, to whom we are dedicating humanitarian and support resources. However, only a long-term ceasefire and a political solution to the Syrian war will bring an end to the Syrian people's exodus, and France is making every political effort to stop the hostilities.

What do you think about the current debate on whether Britain should leave or remain in the European Union?

It is clear that the British vote could have profound consequences for Europe as a whole. France is convinced that the United Kingdom's place is in the European Union. I believe this conviction is shared by all the UK's partners, in and out of Europe. It is now up to the British people to answer this existential question for their country, taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of each situation.

During your recent visit to Moscow, you said Kiev must stick to its promises and start making concrete steps toward the implementation of the Minsk peace accords. The remark has been interpreted by some analysts as the French government siding with Moscow for the first time in public. Is that the case?

It would be inexact to say that the French government has taken sides with Moscow. We are, within the Normandy format with Germany, mediators working for a positive solution to the conflict, ie. restoring peace and the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Our message is clear. The Minsk agreements are our roadmap. They involve a number of obligations that apply to the various parties. Moscow needs to put pressure on the separatists to ensure compliance with a full ceasefire. That is the message we have taken to Russia, including my visit to Moscow that you mentioned. Kiev, meanwhile, needs to adopt the legislative instruments required to organize elections in Donbass. These positions are clear and unchanged.

What's your view about China's influence in the North Korea issue?

We regularly discuss North Korea with our Chinese counterparts. We are worried but determined: for France, and for China, allowing a nuclear and ballistic programme to develop, in violation of all international rules and several United Nations Security Council resolutions, is out of the question. China is a neighbour of North Korea and has the closest political and economic relations with it. Everyone hopes it will be able to make the North Korean authorities see sense. But that is a collective responsibility, which is incumbent on us all. The international sanctions against North Korea show our determination. It is now urgent that North Korea put an end to provocations, comply with international rules, and focus at last on its people, who are suffering terribly.

What's your view on the current relationship between China and France?

Relations between France and China are excellent, at political level as well as for our economies and businesses. Together, we build aircraft and nuclear power plants, we create joint academic institutes, while French businesses receive Chinese investment and France is visited by 2 million Chinese tourists every year. Moreover, as permanent members of the United Nation's Security Council, we share special responsibilities on the international stage. Our comprehensive strategic partnership enables us to discuss major global issues in confidence. This was shown during the Paris Climate Conference, where cooperation with China was crucial for obtaining a historic agreement. My visit to China is an opportunity to further our cooperation. My aim is to strengthen, even further, the economic ties between our two countries, while developing exchanges between our people, so that this excellent relationship can directly benefit French and Chinese citizens.