French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived?in?in Beijing?Wednesday afternoon to attend a seminar on the international monetary system.

The seminar, informal and academic in nature, will be held on March 31 in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu province.

Sarkozy will attend the opening ceremony of the seminar and deliver a speech, according to information provided by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

During his stay in Beijing, Sarkozy will meet with Chinese president Hu Jintao to discuss bilateral ties and regional and international issues of common concern, the ministry added.