China News Agency, Paris, September 7 (Reporter Li Yang) French President Macron had a phone conversation with British Prime Minister Johnson on the 7th local time.

The two focused on discussing the current negotiation process between the European Union and the United Kingdom and the relationship between France and Britain.

  Macron disclosed the details of his conversation with Johnson that day.

He said that he and Johnson had "good discussions" over the phone, and the two discussed the future relationship between the EU and the UK, combating migrant smuggling and other matters, and will strengthen cooperation on the above-mentioned related issues.

  A spokesperson for the British Prime Minister said that Johnson and Macron agreed on the importance of progress in the EU-UK negotiations and pushed for an early conclusion of the negotiations.

It is worth noting that French officials did not make further comments on issues related to the progress of the negotiations.

As the EU and the UK are about to start a new round of negotiations, the outside world generally believes that Macron's call with Johnson is aimed at avoiding another deadlock in the negotiations.

  Barnier, the chief negotiator of the European Union responsible for Britain’s “Brexit” affairs, stated through French media on the 7th that Britain’s compliance with the previous “Brexit” agreement with the EU is a prerequisite for maintaining confidence in future EU-UK negotiations.

He emphasized that relevant agreements must be observed.

Barnier is a Frenchman and was former French foreign minister.

  The relevant negotiations between the EU and the UK have entered a critical stage.

Johnson made it clear that the UK and the EU need to reach a trade agreement before October 15 so that the agreement will take effect before the end of the year.

He warned that if an agreement cannot be reached by then, both parties should accept this fact.

  After Britain officially "Brexit" on January 31 this year and enters a transitional period, the EU and Britain will put on the agenda for future relations negotiations with a trade agreement as the core.

Negotiations between the EU and the UK regarding the future relationship between the two parties after the UK’s “Brexit” are progressing slowly, and both sides blame each other for this.

  According to news from France and Britain, Macron and Johnson also discussed the joint fight against the new crown pneumonia epidemic between France and Britain.

Both France and the United Kingdom have recently faced a rapid increase in new confirmed cases. The number of new confirmed cases in France once approached 9,000 in a single day, and the number of newly confirmed cases in the United Kingdom approached 3,000 in a single day.

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