Mount Tai in Tai'an and Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay in France officially formed friendly mountain relationship on June 28 in Tai'an, Shandong province.

At the signing ceremony, officials from the Mount Tai scenic area and Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay signed a cooperation agreement online, marking the official establishment of a friendly mountain relationship between the two mountains.

Laurent Bili, French ambassador to China, Yang Hongtao, Party secretary of Tai'an, Li Yongsen, deputy director of Foreign Affairs Office of Shandong, and Zhang Tao, mayor of Tai'an, and Jacques Bono, mayor of Mont-Saint-Michel, attended the signing ceremony both online and offline.

Mount Tai is traditionally significant in Chinese history and culture, a symbol of the Chinese national spirit, and its culture plays an important role in foreign exchanges, Yang said.

Since Tai'an and Mont-Saint-Michel established an official friendship in 1997, the two cities have conducted in-depth exchanges in tourism development, protection and promotion, and other relevant areas, Yang said.

Yang expects that two cities will take the signing ceremony as an opportunity to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in broader areas, and promote mutual development, Yang added.

Laurent Bili said that France attaches great importance to exchanges and cooperation with Tai'an and hopes to take the newly established friendship between Mount Tai and Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation at cultural, academic and economic levels, and to enhance communication and deepen cooperation on various issues such as optimizing the ecosystem, protecting cultural diversity and sustainable development.