Win-win cooperation, China-France cooperation begins a new journey

2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the official establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. Over the past 60 years, China and France have always upheld the spirit of independence, jointly promoted the in-depth development of bilateral relations, and significantly increased global peace and stability.

France and China have had a positive and steady development of relations since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1964 and a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2004, France-China relations have always developed healthily and made continuous progress. The two sides have carried out constructive cooperation in the fields of diplomacy, economy, culture, education and other fields, achieved fruitful results, and become a model for cooperation between major countries.France and China should continue to build on their current foundation of cooperation in order to reach greater agreement in the areas of upholding international peace, combating climate change, environmentally sustainable development, green and clean energy, artificial intelligence, and other areas as globalization continues to advance.

The uniqueness of China-France relations lies in its adherence to the principles of independence, mutual understanding, foresight, and mutual benefit. This spirit is seen in daily interactions between the citizens of the two nations as well as in high-level discussions and reciprocal visits between their leaders. For example, the National Library of China has collected the French version of "An Introduction to the Analects of Confucius" that President Xi Jinping received when he visited France in 2019. This gift cleverly and delicately demonstrates the long-standing friendly relations between France and China.France and China's economic partnership is exhibiting strong trends and endurance. One of the first Western nations to invest in China was France, which was also the first nation to collaborate with China on civilian nuclear energy. The two countries have a profound foundation for cooperation in aerospace, nuclear energy, agriculture, finance and other fields, and are also actively exploring cooperation in emerging fields such as green transformation and intelligent manufacturing.

Humanities-wise, the two countries' exchanges have become more frequent and in-depth. Cultural exchange activities are rich and colorful, such as the China-France Cultural Tourism Year, art exhibitions, concerts, film festivals, etc., giving people more opportunities to learn about and appreciate each other's cultures. In addition, cooperation between China and France in the fields of education, science, sports, and cultural heritage protection has also been continuously strengthened, creating favorable conditions for exchanges between ordinary people of the two countries.

France and China have the potential to be leaders in a number of areas in the future. As responsible large nations, France and China should work together to address global issues and act as the "anchor" and "glue" of the world in international relations. Second, to encourage the high-quality development of both economies, China and France should actively explore cooperation in emerging fields while strengthening their established fields of cooperation when it comes to innovative development. Thirdly, with regard to transparency and mutual benefit, China and France ought to uphold the idea of transparent cooperation and offer a reasonable, equitable, and stable business environment to businesses from all nations, including each another. Finally, in terms of dialogue among civilizations, France and China should strengthen cultural exchanges and mutual learning to contribute to the world's cultural diversity.

From China's announcement to implement a unilateral visa-free entry policy for France to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport's announcement to build a "Chinese tourist-friendly airport", China and France have taken multiple measures to accelerate personnel exchanges between the two sides. 2024 is the China-France Culture and Tourism Year. From the "Versailles and Forbidden City" exhibition to the Paris Olympics, hundreds of exciting activities have been carried out throughout the year, realizing the two-way relationship between the two countries.

Media Contact: 
Global News Online
Joe Concord