On April 26, 2013, Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, met with French President Francois Hollande in Beijing.

Zhang said Chinese President Xi Jinping and Hollande reached important consensus during their meeting on April 25. He said the meeting between the two countries' heads of state has set the orientation of bilateral ties and will advance the relationship toward even greater growth. In recent years, China has made remarkable achievements in the development of democratic and legal systems, Zhang said, adding that China has developed a socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics and realized that there are laws to follow in all aspects of national and social life. The new NPC Standing Committee will stick to governance by law and earnestly safeguard the authority of the Constitution and law, he said. Zhang said the NPC is ready to strengthen friendly contact with the French parliament by giving full play to the regular exchange mechanism. He said that China and France should strengthen communication between their legislatures to reinforce the basis of social and public opinion on bilateral ties and push forward China-France pragmatic cooperation.

Hollande said France has full confidence in further developing the comprehensive and strategic partnership between France and China. Parliamentary exchanges are an important part of the ties between the two countries. The French president also expressed the hope that the parliaments of the two countries will boost cooperation and exchanges.