Xi Jinping salutes the ties that unite his country with France. On the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Paris and Beijing, the Chinese president also called for closer relations to “respond to the world’s uncertainties.” France was the first major Western country to establish ties with China, in 1964.
Chinese President Xi Jinping praised ties with France on the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties and called for closer relations between Beijing and Paris in response to global tensions. “The two sides should relentlessly develop bilateral relations and respond to the world’s uncertainties through the stability of relations between China and France,” Xi Jinping said in a video message broadcast Thursday evening in Beijing during a ceremony marking the ‘birthday.
The United States waited until 1979 to establish ties with Beijing
France, under the leadership of General de Gaulle, was in 1964 the first major Western country to establish diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level with the People’s Republic of China. This decision, bold at the time, is regularly cited as an example of independent diplomacy by Chinese officials. The United States waited until 1979 to establish diplomatic ties with Beijing.
Emmanuel Macron visited China in April. Upon returning from the trip, the French president called on the European Union not to be “follower” of the United States on the question of Taiwan. These remarks drew criticism in the West, but were widely welcomed in China. Taiwan, 23 million inhabitants, is the subject of a bitter rivalry between Beijing, which claims sovereignty over this territory which it does not control, and Washington, the island’s main ally and arms supplier.