France wants to expand its partnership with China into new and promising fields able to cope with the challenges of the future, French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

The French prime minister hailed a fruitful economic cooperation with China over the past decades, mainly in the nuclear and aviation sectors thanks to the "mobilization of all actors around structuring projects."

Meanwhile, Ayrault noted that Paris and Beijing hope to further boost ties by exploring new and lucrative areas of partnership, such as food processing, health, urban planning and sustainable development, financial services and digital business.

"In these areas, the French companies have the expertise and experience that meet Chinese expectations," he said, speaking ahead of his five-day visit to China from Thursday.

In this context, Ayrault stressed the need to focus on the future and help open new chapters in history.

On China's role in helping France and its European partners to tackle the current economic and financial troubles in Europe, Ayrault said: "China can contribute to growth recovery... by promoting rebalancing of economic relations, bolster its partnership with France and strengthening (the) economic and financial cooperation."

He also said France hopes to attract Chinese cash into France's domestic market, where shipping company Cosco, consumer electronics supplier Haier and Bank of China have already set foot. He added that he encourages more Chinese enterprises to take advantage of the workforce and infrastructure quality in France.

Ayrault considered the decision of both countries to forge diplomatic ties in January 1964 as "the founding act of the partnership between the two countries and the friendship between the two peoples."

The French premier said that both sides should "worthily" celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ties "given the way we have come together," adding that many and diverse events were scheduled in 2014 reflecting the rich and varied cultural, economic, scientific and academic links between France and China.

Speaking of Beijing's political reforms, Ayrault praised China's opening up as "... a crucial decision that has shaped the contemporary China."

"France respects China and its people's decisions. France also noted the accelerated development that China has experienced in recent years, and that was a great opportunity to strengthen our cooperation in all areas and work together to provide collective responses to global challenges," he added.

Heading a delegation that will include several ministers and business leaders, Ayrault will pay his official visit to China from Dec. 5 to 9. He is scheduled to visit Beijing, Wuhan, and Taishan of Guangdong province in a bid to further cement political, economic and social ties with China.