French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna will pay a two-day visit to China starting Thursday, which is expected to further strengthen bilateral ties and improve cultural exchanges between the two countries.

China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning announced the visit on Wednesday, and said this is the French foreign minister's first visit to China since she took office in May 2022.

During the visit, Colonna will meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and co-host the sixth meeting of the China-France high-level dialogue mechanism on people-to-people exchanges with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Mao said.

The meeting will be an important part of Colonna's visit, Mao said, adding that China hopes to have in-depth discussions with France on cooperation in education, culture, science, technology, health and sports.

Wang and Colonna will also hold talks and meet the press together, Mao said.

Ties between China and France, both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and independent major countries, are enjoying sound growth under the guidance of the heads of state of the two countries, Mao said.

The two countries have maintained frequent high-level interactions, promoted exchanges and cooperation in various fields, collaborated on multilateral occasions and worked together to tackle global challenges.

Also, China and France are planning a series of events next year, which marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations and the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism, Mao said.