By Kirby Chien
BOAO, China, April 18 (Reuters) - France has invited China's commerce minister and other officials to visit later this year, a trade office said on Saturday, the latest sign that Paris is moving rapidly to repair frayed ties.
"It has already been done," said Trade Minister Anne-Marie Idrac, referring to invitations extended to Commerce Minister Chen Deming and other officials.
The relationship between China and France had deteriorated after the disruption of the Paris leg of the Olympic torch relay last summer by pro-Tibet activists incensed many Chinese.
Last year China pulled out of a European Union summit that France was to host, after President Nicolas Sarkozy met the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader.
The two countries, however, began to mend tattered ties earlier this month with a joint declaration in which France recognised Tibet as a part of China and both sides agreed to cooperate on tackling the economic crisis. [ID:nSP464953]
"The only question is to find the right moment" for the visits, she told Reuters on the sidelines of the Boao Forum.
The visits are being planned for later this year and could include a procurement mission to purchase French goods, she said.
Idrac said she will meet with Chen Deming in Beijing next week to discuss these and other issues.
France hopes to expand commercial ties with China and create opportunities for French firms to benefit from Beijing's 4 trillion yuan ($585 billion) stimulus package.
"I would be happy with as much as possible," she said, when asked about the level of Chinese investment that could be expected. "But at the moment it is so low."
Idrac said France wanted to diversify its commercial relations with China to include a wide range of industries such as health care, agriculture, energy and waste management.
"We are interested in a long-term relationship," she said.
($=6.83 yuan) (Reporting by Kirby Chien)