France's President Nicolas Sarkozy looks at soldiers of the Terracotta Army in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, on November 25, the first day of a three-day visit to China.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi province, on November 25, kicking off his first state visit to China since he took office in May, 2009.

"Our two countries enjoy very close political ties and energetic economic links," the French president told a business forum on Sunday evening.

He expressed confidence about future bilateral cooperation in politics, economy, technology and other fields.

He said that he appreciated China's constructive role in international affairs, especially its positive contribution to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and the Darfur issue.

The 52-year-old Sarkozy encouraged more French companies to invest in China and explore win-win cooperation with their Chinese counterparts.

During his stay in China, Chinese President Hu Jintao held talks with Sarkozy. China's top legislator Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen Jiabao also met with him.

Sarkozy also delivered a speech at Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University and viewed Beijing's preparations for the 2008 Olympics.

Sarkozy's three-day trip took him to the economic powerhouse of Shanghai, where he met with French entrepreneurs who are doing business there.