France-Diplomatie
retour home
China
France-Diplomatie > Country files > China
fleche

China pointillés

France and its European partners have on several occasions expressed their concern regarding the recent sentencing of human rights defenders in China.

The issue of human rights is a permanent feature of our dialogue and is discussed at the highest level and at every opportunity, both at the bilateral level and the European level.

Read

Introduction


The recognition of the People’s Republic of China on 27 January 1964 marked the starting point for official relations between the People’s Republic of China and France.

The signing of the “joint declaration for a global partnership” on 16 May 1997 opened a new chapter in relations between our two countries. The State visit of President HU Jintao in January 2004, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and the signing of a new joint declaration, confirmed the commitment of France and China to “deepen the global strategic Franco-Chinese partnership to promote a safer, more united world that is more respectful of its diversity”.

France’s strategic decision made in 1997, confirmed at the time of the French President’s State visit in 2007, is based on the conviction that a trusting dialogue with China is likely to promote the country’s evolution towards greater stability, growth and freedom. China now influences all global balances, whether environmental, economic or financial. It is therefore important for France to work with China on an equal footing and in a genuine partnership.

Accordingly, the French President’s State visit in 2007 was the opportunity to reaffirm the key nature of the strategic partnership between France and China, to outline the prospects of our industrial partnership (cooperation agreement on the peaceful use of nuclear energy) and to reinforce our cooperation in new fields (climate change, sustainable urban development, product safety, etc.). The French President also went to China for the Olympic Games in Beijing (August 2008) and the ASEM summit (October 2008), chaired by France for the EU.

After a delicate period, our bilateral ties resumed their normal course with the publication of a joint statement and meetings between the French President and his Chinese counterpart alongside the G20 meeting in London on 1 April 2009, and in New York, alongside the UNGA on 21 September 2009. These meetings have made it possible to reaffirm the stability and the importance of the strategic partnership between China and France and to open a new chapter in our cooperation.

Updated on : 09.08.10

Version imprimablePrint version