BEIJING, July 14 -- Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong attended a France Day reception at the Embassy of France in Beijing on Monday.

Bilateral ties between China and France have followed an extraordinary path since diplomatic ties were established 50 years ago, and they have played a leading role in relations between China and Western countries, Liu said.

During his state visit to France in late March, Chinese President Xi Jinping reached consensus with French President Francois Hollande on establishing a closer China-France partnership.

China stands ready to work with France to implement this consensus and strengthen people-to-people exchanges and pragmatic cooperation in all fields, Liu said.