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| Traditional Chinese | 中法關係 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 中法关系 | ||||||
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| French | Relations franco-chinoises | ||||||
China–France relations, also known asFranco-Chinese relations orSino-French relations, are theinterstate relations betweenChina andFrance (Kingdom or later).
The meaning of both "China" and "France" as entities has changed throughout history; this article discusses what was commonly considered 'France' and 'China' at the time of the relationships in question. There have been many political, cultural and economic relationships between the two countries since theMiddle Ages.Rabban Bar Sauma from China visited France and met with KingPhilip IV of France.William of Rubruck encountered the French silversmith Guillaume Bouchier in the Mongol city ofKarakorum.
Present-day relations are marked by both countries' respectiveregional powers stature (in theEU for France andAsia for China), as well as their shared status asG20 economies,permanent members of the UN Security Council, andinternationally recognized nuclear-weapon states. Key differences include questions of trade,democracy, andhuman rights.
In 1698-1700 CEfirst French embassy to China took place via sea route.[1] Numerous French Jesuits were active in China during the 17th and 18th centuries:Nicolas Trigault (1577–1629),Alexander de Rhodes (1591–1660, active inVietnam),Jean-Baptiste Régis (1663–1738),Jean Denis Attiret (1702–1768),Michel Benoist (1715–1774),Joseph-Marie Amiot (1718–1793).
French Jesuits pressured the French king to send them to China with the aims of counterbalancing the influence ofOttoman Empire in Europe. The Jesuits sent byLouis XIV were:Jean de Fontaney (1643–1710),Joachim Bouvet(1656–1730),Jean-François Gerbillon (1654–1707),Louis Le Comte (1655–1728) andClaude de Visdelou (1656–1737).[2] Returning to France, they noticed the similarity between Louis XIV of France and theKangxi Emperor of China. Both were said to be servants of God, and to control their respective areas: France being the strongest country of Europe, and China being the strongest power in East Asia. Other biographical factors lead commentators to proclaim that Louis XIV and the Kangxi Emperor were protected by the same angel. (In childhood, they overcame the same illness; both reigned for a long time, with many conquests.)
Under Louis XIV's reign, the work of these French researchers sent by the King had a notable influence on Chinese sciences, but continued to be mere intellectual games, and not tools to improve the power of man over nature. Conversely, Chinese culture and style became fashionable in France, exemplified by theChinoiserie fashion, and Louis XIV had theTrianon de Porcelaine built in Chinese style in 1670.[3] France became the European center for Chinese porcelains, silks and lacquers and European imitations of these goods.[4]
At the same time, the first ever known Chinese people came to France.Michel Sin arrived inVersailles in 1684 before continuing on to England. More notable wasArcadio Huang, who crossed France in 1702, spent some time in Rome (as a result of theChinese Rites controversy), and returned toParis in 1704, where he was the "Chinese interpreter of the King" before he died in 1716. He started the first ever Chinese-French dictionary, and a Chinese grammar to help French and European researchers to understand and study Chinese, but died before finishing his work.
Paris-based geographers processed reports and cartographic material supplied by mostly French Jesuit teams traveling across theQing dynasty, and published a number of high-quality works, the most important of which wasDescription de la Chine et de la Tartarie Chinoise edited byJean-Baptiste Du Halde (1736), with maps byJean Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville.
In the 18th century, the FrenchJesuit priestMichel Benoist, together withGiuseppe Castiglione, helped theQianlong Emperor build a European-style area in theOld Summer Palace (often associated withEuropean-style palaces built of stone), to satisfy his taste for exotic buildings and objects.Jean Denis Attiret became a painter to the Qianlong Emperor.Joseph-Marie Amiot (1718–1793) also won the confidence of the emperor and spent the remainder of his life inBeijing. He was official translator of Western languages for the emperor, and the spiritual leader of the French mission in Peking.[5]
France asserted itself as the protector of theCatholic Church in China from the 1840s to 1920s.[6]: 63 Lacking significant commercial ties to China, France focused on its religious role as a major aspect of its diplomacy with China.[6]: 63
French Catholic missionaries were active in the Qing dynasty; they were funded by appeals in French churches for money. The Holy Childhood Association (L'Oeuvre de la Sainte Enfance) was a Catholic charity founded in 1843 to rescue Chinese children from infanticide. It was a target of Chinese anti-Christian protests notably in theTianjin Massacre of 1870. Rioting sparked by false rumors of the killing of babies led to the death of a French consul and provoked a diplomatic crisis.[7]
In 1844, China and France concluded its first modern treaty, theTreaty of Whampoa, which demanded for France thesame privileges extended to Britain. In 1860, theSummer Palace was sacked by Anglo-French troops and many precious artifacts found their way into French museums following the sack.[citation needed]
For centuries China had claimed the Indo-China territory to its south as a tributary state, but France began a series of invasions, turning French Indochina into its own colony.[8] France and China clashed over control ofAnnam. The result was a conflict in 1884–85. The undeclared war was militarily a stalemate, but it was recognized that France had control of Annam and Indochina was no longer a tributary of China. The main political result was that the war strengthened the control ofEmpress Dowager Cixi over the Chinese government, giving her the chance to block modernization programs needed by the Chinese military. The war was unpopular in France and it brought down the government of Prime MinisterJules Ferry. Historian Lloyd Eastman concluded in 1967:
In 1897, France seized Kwangchow Wan, (Guangzhouwan) as a treaty port, and tookits own concession in the treaty port of Shanghai. Kwangchow Wan was leased by China to France for 99 years (or until 1997, as the British did in Hong Kong's New Territories), according to the Treaty of 12 April 1898, on 27 May asTerritoire de Kouang-Tchéou-Wan, to counter the growing commercial power ofBritish Hong Kong[10] and was effectively placed under the authority of the French Resident Superior inTonkin (itself under the Governor General ofFrench Indochina, also in Hanoi); the French Resident was represented locally by Administrators.[11]
In 1900, France was a major participant in theEight-Nation Alliance which invaded theQing dynasty to put down theBoxer Rebellion. In the early 20th century Chinese students began to come to France.Li Shizeng,Zhang Renjie,Wu Zhihui, andCai Yuanpei formed ananarchist group which became the basis for theDiligent Work-Frugal Study Movement. Zhang started a gallery which imported Chinese art, and the dealerC.T. Loo developed his Paris gallery into an international center.
In 1905-1907 Japan made overtures on China to enlarge its sphere of influence to includeFujian. Japan was trying to obtain French loans and also avoid theOpen Door Policy. Paris provided loans on condition that Japan respect the Open Door and not violate China's territorial integrity. In the French-Japanese Entente of 1907, Paris secured Japan's recognition of the special interests France possessed in “the regions of the Chinese Empire adjacent to the territories” where they had “the rights of sovereignty, protection or occupation,” which meant the French colonial possessions in southeast Asia as well as the French spheres of influence in three provinces in southern China—Yunnan, Guangxi, and Guangdong. In return, the French recognized Japan's spheres of influence in Korea, South Manchuria, and Inner Mongolia.[12][13]
TheFrench Third Republic recognized the establishment of theRepublic of China and established diplomatic relations on 7 October 1913. After the outbreak of World War I, the French government recruitedChinese workers to work in French factories. Li Shizeng and his friends organized the Société Franco-Chinoise d'Education (華法教育會 HuaFa jiaoyuhui) in 1916. Many worker-students who came to France after the war became high level members of theChinese Communist Party (CCP). These includedZhou Enlai andDeng Xiaoping. The Institut Franco-Chinois de Lyon (1921–1951) promoted cultural exchanges.[14] In 1909, China sent an expedition to theParacel Islands, for the first time formally claiming them.[15] In 1932, China sent anote verbale to France, declaring that China's southernmost territory was the Paracels.[16] In 1933, when France occupied six features in the Spratlys, China did not protest.[17][15][16]
During World War II,Free France and China fought asallied powers against theAxis powers of Germany, Italy and Japan. After theinvasion of France in 1940, although the newly formedVichy France was an ally of Germany, it continued to recognize the Kuomintang government ofChiang Kai-shek—which had to flee toChongqing in the Chinese interior after thefall ofNanjing in 1937—rather than the Japanese-sponsoredReorganized National Government of China underWang Jingwei. French diplomats in China remained accredited to the government in Chongqing.[18] In 1943, China again reiterated through its government-published book, China Handbook (1937–1943), that its southernmost territory was the Paracels, specifically Triton Island.[19]
On 18 August 1945 inChongqing, while the Japanese were still occupyingKwangchow Wan following the surrender, a French diplomat from theProvisional Government and Kuo Chang Wu, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China, signed theConvention between the Provisional Government of the French Republic and the National Government of China for the retrocession of the Leased Territory of Kouang-Tchéou-Wan. Almost immediately after the last Japanese occupation troops had left the territory in late September, representatives of the French and the Chinese governments went toFort-Bayard to proceed to the transfer of authority; the French flag was lowered for the last time on 20 November 1945.[20] In 1947, China revised its Handbook, and declaring that its southernmost territory was the Spratlys, resulting in territorial conflict with France and other claimants. In its revised 1947 Handbook, China stated that the Spratlys is claimed as well by the Philippines and Indochina.[21]
France played a minor role in the Korean War. In the 1950s, communist insurgents based in China repeatedly invaded and attacked French facilities in Indochina. After a major defeat by the Vietnamese communists atDien Bien Phu in 1954, France pulled out and turned North Vietnam over to the Communists. By exiting Southeast Asia, France avoided confrontations with China. However, the Cultural Revolution sparked violence against French diplomats in China, and relationships cooled. The powerful French Communist Party generally supported the Soviet Union in the Sino-Soviet split and China had therefore a very weak base of support inside France, apart from some militant students.[22]
During theSuez Crisis in 1956, China condemned France andBritain and made strong statements insupport of Egypt.[23]: xxxvii
After theChinese Civil War (1927–1950) and the establishment of the newcommunist-ledPeople's Republic of China (PRC) on 1 October 1949, theFrench Fourth Republic government did not recognize the PRC. Instead, France maintained relations with the Republic of China onTaiwan. During theKorean War, theFrench Battalion under theUnited Nations Command fought the PRC'sPeople's Volunteer Army in multiple battles.[24]: 89–96
By 1964, France and the PRC had re-established ambassadorial-level diplomatic relations. This was precipitated byCharles de Gaulle's official recognition of the PRC.[25] De Gaulle's view was that maintaining diplomatic contact with the PRC could be a moderating influence.[26]: 101
This state of relations would not last, however. During the 1990s, France and the PRC repeatedly clashed as a result of the PRC'sOne China Policy.[27] France sold weapons to Taiwan, angering the Beijing government. This resulted in the temporary closure of the FrenchConsulate-General inGuangzhou. France eventually agreed to prohibit local companies from selling arms to Taiwan, and diplomatic relations resumed in 1994. Since then, the two countries have exchanged a number of state visits. Bilateral trade reached new high levels in 2000. Cultural ties between the two countries are less well represented, though France is making an effort to improve this disparity. France has expanded its research facilities dealing with Chinese history, culture, and current affairs.[27] Organizations associated with theInternational Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party maintain links with French parliamentarians.[28] The PRC operates over 70 talent recruitment "work stations" in France fortechnology transfer purposes.[29]
In 2008, Sino-French relations took a downturn in the wake of the2008 Summer Olympics torch relay. As torchbearers passed through Paris, activists fighting forTibetan independence and human rights repeatedly attempted to disrupt, hinder or halt the procession.[30] The Chinese government hinted that Sino-French friendship could be affected[31] while Chinese protesters organized boycotts of the French-owned retail chainCarrefour in major Chinese cities includingKunming,Hefei andWuhan.[32] Hundreds of people also joined anti-French rallies in those cities and Beijing.[33] Both governments attempted to calm relations after the demonstrations. French PresidentNicolas Sarkozy wrote a letter of support and sympathy toJin Jing, a Chinese athlete who had carried the Olympic torch.[34] CCPgeneral secretaryHu Jintao subsequently sent a special envoy to France to help strengthen relations.[35]
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However, relations again soured after President Sarkozy met theDalai Lama in Poland in 2009.Chinese PremierWen Jiabao omitted France in his tour of Europe in response, his assistant foreign minister saying of the rift "The one who tied the knot should be the one who unties it."[36] French Prime MinisterJean-Pierre Raffarin was quoted inLe Monde as saying that France had no intention of "encourag[ing] Tibetan separatism".[37]
In March 2024, the head of the Paris office of China'sMinistry of State Security (MSS) and other Chinese officials were filmed inCharles de Gaulle Airport in a failed attempt to forcibly repatriate Chinese dissident Ling Huazhan.[38] French authorities subsequently asked the MSS officer and another Chinese intelligence official to leave the country.[38]
In May 2024, several French lawmakers, all belonging to theInter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, revealed that they had been targeted by Chinese spies (APT31).[39] In June 2025, French authorities suspended the deportation of a Chinese businessman that theGeneral Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) suspected of operating asecret police station from within a Fujianhometown association.[40] In February 2026, French authorities arrested four Chinese nationals in France on suspicion of spying as part of an attempt to gain access toStarlink.[41]
At a time when China–U.S. economic relations were deeply troubled, with atrade war underway, French PresidentEmmanuel Macron and CCP general secretaryXi Jinping signed a series of large-scale trade agreements in late March 2019 which covered many sectors over a period of years. The centerpiece was a €30 billion purchase of airplanes fromAirbus. It came at a time when the leading American firm,Boeing, saw its entire fleet of new 737 MAX passenger planesgrounded worldwide. Going well beyond aviation, the new trade agreement covered French exports of chicken, a French-built offshore wind farm in China, and a Franco-Chinese cooperation fund, as well as billions of Euros of co-financing betweenBNP Paribas and theBank of China. Other plans included billions of euros to be spent on modernizing Chinese factories, as well as new ship building.[42]
During his speech at theWorld Economic Forum in Davos on 20 January 2026, French President Macron emphasized the importance of increasing Chineseforeign direct investment (FDI) in key European sectors to promote economic growth and facilitate technology transfer. He urged China to move beyond simply exporting products to Europe and instead focus on local manufacturing and physical presence on the continent.[43]
Per itsone China policy, France recognizes the People's Republic of China as the sole government of China and Taiwan as an integral part of Chinese territory.[44]
In 2018, China made accusations against France after a French naval vessel transited theTaiwan Strait.[45]
In 2021, French senatorAlain Richard announced a visit to Taiwan. The Chinese embassy initially sent him letters requesting him to stop.[46] After he refused to reconsider his trip, the Chinese embassy began Tweeting aggressive insults and threats against him and various other pro-Taiwan lawmakers and experts. The Chinese ambassador was summoned to underscore the unacceptable nature of the threats.[47]
During an April 2023 visit to China, French President Emmanuel Macron called for Europe to reduce its dependence on the US and avoid being drawn into a confrontation between the US and China overTaiwan.[48] Macron emphasised his view ofstrategic autonomy, suggesting that Europe could become a "third superpower.”[48] According to Macron, Europe should focus on boosting its own defence industries and reducing dependence on the US dollar.[48] Macron also stated that he favors the "status quo" oncross-strait relations with Taiwan.[49]
In June 2020, France opposed theHong Kong national security law.[50]
In December 2020, France said it would oppose the proposedComprehensive Agreement on Investment between theEuropean Union and China over the use offorced labour of Uyghurs.[51]
In March 2021, European Union leaders imposed sanctions on various Chinese Communist Party officials. China responded by sanctioning various French politicians such asRaphael Glucksmann.[52]
In March 2025,Reporters Without Borders condemned a smear campaign amplified by Chinesestate media against French journalists investigating a sportswear company,Decathlon, alleged to use Uyghur forced labor.[53]
According to a 2019 survey by Kantar Public for theInstitut Montaigne, French citizens are increasingly aware of China's rise as a global power though opinions vary by topic.
On perceived threat, 31% of respondents viewed China as a threat, compared with 35% for the United States and 44% for Russia. 81% considered China influential in global affairs and 47% thought China was influential in France, with 13% describing it as "very influential". When it came to digitalization and technology, a generational divide is apparent in French perceptions of China's technological development, with younger citizens, particularly those under 35, more likely to view China as surpassing France in these fields. Among respondents under age of 35, 55% considered China as being ahead, with 65.2% of those aged 18 to 24 sharing this view. Overall, 47% believed China was ahead of France, while 19% believed France was ahead and 29% viewed neither as ahead.[54]
DuringCOVID-19, a survey published in 2020 by thePew Research Center found that 70% of French had an unfavourable view of China in that year. It also reported in that year that 48% in France regarded China as the "world's dominant economic power", compared with 34% for USA.[55]
A 2014 poll indicated that Chinese tourists considered France to be the most welcoming nation in Europe.[56]
In 2017, approximately 2 million Chinese tourists spent an average of €3,400 per person in France. A 2019 survey conducted by Kantar Public for the think tankInstitut Montaigne found that French respondents positively recognize the economic benefits of Chinese tourism. InParis, 84% view Chinese tourism positively, and in France overall - 78% see Chinese tourism positively.[54]
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French international schools in mainland China, all partnered in some way with theAgency for French Education Abroad (AEFE), include:
Shekou International School in Shenzhen formerly was AEFE-partnered, with a section for primary school students using the French system.[60]
There is also a French international school in Hong Kong:French International School of Hong Kong.
There is also a bilingual Chinese-French school aimed at Chinese children, École expérimentale franco-chinoise de Pékin (北京中法实验学校), which is converted from the former Wenquan No. 2 Middle School, inHaidian District, Beijing.[61]
Adresse No.2, Huanshan Cun, Wenquan Zhen, District Haidian, 100095, Pékin, Chine
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