French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Europe to "grasp the chance the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative" presents to better achieve connectivity and common prosperity in Eurasia, said former French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

On Friday, Raffarin spoke of Macron's commitment at a conference in Paris organized by the Boao Forum for Asia in response to Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative Forum for International Cooperation in May, to which President Xi Jinping invited up to 30 state leaders.

"President Macron is highly aware of the significance of the Belt and Road Initiative and has been urging Europe to grasp the chance to cooperate with China", Raffarin said.