"This new world is too complex not to be multipolar," she said at Beijing's University of National Defense on the final day of her three-day visit Tuesday.

"It is necessary to accept the reality of diversity."

In response to questions from Chinese officials about France's strained relations with the United States, she repeated that it was regrettable that her US counterpart Donald Rumsfeld had not learnt the value of a multipolar world.

Her comment followed a US Department of Defense rebuke last month after Alliot-Marie accused Rumsfeld of espousing a US-centered vision of the world.

"The American defense secretary believes that the United States is the only military, economic and financial power of the world," the French minister said then. "We don't share this vision."

The testy exchanges come despite signs of a general thaw in Franco-US relations, which were jolted by France's refusal to support the US-led invasion of Iraq and its threat to veto a UN Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force against Baghdad.

"In a few years, Mr. Rumsfeld will have opposite him a united Europe, proud of its old culture and its new dynamism," Alliot-Marie added Tuesday, alluding to Rumsfeld's claims that France and Germany represented "Old Europe."

During her trip to China, the French minister met with Chinese President Hu Jintao, military strongman Jiang Zemin and her counterpart Cao Gangchuan.

She urged more high-level meetings and better cooperation between the countries, both permanent, veto-wielding UN Security Council members.

China has praised the "steady growth" of bilateral relations with France, saying it was committed to expanding bilateral exchanges and cooperation.

WAR.WIRE