China–France relations
China |
France |
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China–France relations | |
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Chinese name | |
Hanyu Pinyin | Zhōng-Fǎ guānxì |
China–France relations, also known as Franco-Chinese relations or Sino-French relations, are the interstate relations between China and France (Kingdom or later).
Note that the meaning of both "China" and "France" as entities has changed throughout history; this article will discuss 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 the Middle Ages. Rabban Bar Sauma from China visited France and met with King Philip IV of France. William of Rubruck encountered the French silversmith Guillaume Bouchier in the Mongol city of Karakorum.
Present-day relations are marked by both countries's respective
Today, France adheres to the One China policy, where France recognized the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of "China", as opposed to the Republic of China, where it maintains unofficial relations.
The Chinese-French relationship was raised to the level of “global strategic partnership” in 2004. Strategic dialogue (last session from 23 to 24 January 2019), which began in 2001, deals with all areas of cooperation and aims to strengthen dialogue
Country comparison
Official name | People's Republic of China
|
French Republic
|
Flag | ||
Coat of Arms | ||
Anthem | March of the Volunteers (义勇军进行曲) | La Marseillaise |
National day | 1 October | 14 July |
Capital city | Beijing | Paris |
Largest city | Shanghai – 24,870,895 (26,917,322 Metro) | Paris – 2,175,601 (12,628,266 Metro) |
Government | Unitary one-party socialist republic | semi-presidential constitutional republic
|
Head of State | CCP General Secretary and President Xi Jinping | President Emmanuel Macron |
Head of Government | Premier Li Qiang | Prime Minister Gabriel Attal |
Legislature | National People's Congress | French Parliament |
Official language | Chinese | French |
Main religions | 73.56% Chinese Folk Religion
15.87% Buddhism 10.57% Other |
47% Christianity
40% No religion 5% Islam 8% Other |
Current Constitution | 4 December 1982 | 4 October 1958 |
Official name of Military | People's Liberation Army | French Armed Forces |
Area | 9,596,961 km2 (3,705,407 sq mi) | 640,679 km2 (247,368 sq mi) |
EEZ | 877,019 km2 (338,619 sq mi) | 11,691,000 km2 (4,514,000 sq mi) |
Time zones | 5 | 12 |
Population | 1,412,600,000 | 67,918,000 |
Population density | 149/km2 | 118/km2 |
GDP (nominal) | $19.911 trillion | $2.936 trillion |
GDP (nominal) per capita | $14,096 | $44,747 |
GDP (PPP) | $30.177 trillion | $3.677 trillion |
GDP (PPP) per capita | $21,364 | $56,036 |
HDI | 0.768 | 0.903 |
Currency | Renminbi | Euro and CFP franc |
History
17th and 18th centuries
In 1698-1700 CE
French Jesuits pressured the French king to send them to China with the aims of counterbalancing the influence of Ottoman Empire in Europe. The Jesuits sent by Louis XIV were: Jean de Fontaney (1643–1710), Joachim Bouvet (1656-1730),
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 the Chinoiserie fashion, and Louis XIV had the Trianon de Porcelaine built in Chinese style in 1670.[4] France became the European center for Chinese porcelains, silks and lacquers and European imitations of these goods.[5]
At the same time, the first ever known Chinese people came to France.
Paris-based geographers processed reports and cartographic material supplied by mostly French Jesuit teams traveling across the Qing Empire, and published a number of high-quality works, the most important of which was
In the 18th century, the French
19th century
French Catholic missionaries were active in China; 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 the Tianjin 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]
Relations between Qing China and France deteriorated in the European rush for markets and as European opinion of China deteriorated, the once admired empire would become the subject of unequal treaties and colonisation. In 1844, China and France concluded its first modern treaty, the Treaty of Whampoa, which demanded for France the same privileges extended to Britain. In 1860, the Summer Palace was sacked by Anglo-French troops and many precious artifacts found their way into French museums following the sack.[citation needed]
Second Opium war
Sino-French war, 1884-1885
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.
- The Chinese, although fettered by outmoded techniques and shortages of supplies, had fought the French to a stalemate. China lost, it is true, its claim to sovereignty over Vietnam, and that country remained under French dominance until 1954. But the French had been denied an indemnity; railroad construction had been averted; and imperial control of the southern boundaries of the rich natural resources lying within those boundaries had not been broken. In short, China was not much changed by the war.[9]
In 1897, France seized Kwangchow Wan, (
Railway construction
20th century
In 1900, France was a major participant in the
In 1905-1907 Japan made overtures on China to enlarge its sphere of influence to include Fujian. Japan was trying to obtain French loans and also avoid the Open 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]
The
During World War II,
On 18 August 1945 in
During the Cold War era, 1947–1991, France first established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 1964. 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 at Dien 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.[17]
Cold War relations
After the
Post-Cold War
This article is missing information about france-china relations have significantly improved.(March 2023) |
This state of relations would not last, however. During the 1990s, France and the PRC repeatedly clashed as a result of the PRC's
In 2018 China made accusations against France after a French naval vessel transited the Taiwan Strait.[20]
2008 rifts
In 2008, Sino-French relations took a downturn in the wake of the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay. As torchbearers passed through Paris, activists fighting for Tibetan independence and human rights repeatedly attempted to disrupt, hinder or halt the procession.[21] The Chinese government hinted that Sino-French friendship could be affected[22] while Chinese protesters organized boycotts of the French-owned retail chain Carrefour in major Chinese cities including Kunming, Hefei and Wuhan.[23] Hundreds of people also joined anti-French rallies in those cities and Beijing.[24] Both governments attempted to calm relations after the demonstrations. French President Nicolas Sarkozy wrote a letter of support and sympathy to Jin Jing, a Chinese athlete who had carried the Olympic torch.[25] Chinese leader Hu Jintao subsequently sent a special envoy to France to help strengthen relations.[26]
However, relations again soured after President Sarkozy met the
Economic issues
At a time when China–U.S. economic relations were deeply troubled, with a trade war underway, French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese leader Xi 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 from Airbus. It came at a time when the leading American firm, Boeing, saw its entire fleet of new 737 MAX passenger planes grounded 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 between BNP Paribas and the Bank of China. Other plans included billions of euros to be spent on modernizing Chinese factories, as well as new ship building.[29]
Taiwan issues
France adheres to the One China policy.[30]
In 2021, French senator Alain Richard announced a visit to Taiwan. The Chinese embassy initially sent him letters requesting him to stop.[31] 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.[32]
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 over Taiwan.[33] Macron emphasised his view of strategic autonomy, suggesting that Europe could become a "third superpower.”[33] According to Macron, Europe should focus on boosting its own defence industries and reducing dependence on the US dollar.[33]
Human rights
Hong Kong
In June 2020, France openly opposed the Hong Kong national security law.[34]
Xinjiang
In March 2021, European Union leaders imposed sanctions on various Chinese Communist Party officials. China responded by sanctioning various French politicians such as
Public opinion
Survey published in 2020 by the Pew Research Center found that 70% of French had an unfavourable view of China.[36]
Tourism
In 2018, around 2.1 million Chinese tourists visited France.[37] A 2014 poll indicated that Chinese tourists considered France to be the most welcoming nation in Europe.[38]
Resident diplomatic missions
- China has an embassy in Paris, consulates-general in Lyon, Marseille, Saint-Denis and Strasbourg, and a consulate in Papeete.[39]
- France has an embassy in Beijing and consulates-general in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenyang and Wuhan.[40]
-
Embassy of China in Paris
-
Consulate-General of China in Saint-Denis, Réunion
-
Embassy of France in Beijing
Education
French international schools in mainland China, all partnered in some way with the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE), include:
- Lycée Français International Charles de Gaulle de Pékin (Beijing)
- Lycée Français de Shanghai
- Wuhan French International School
- École Française Internationale de Canton (Guangzhou)
- École Française Internationale de Shenzhen[41]
Shekou International School in Shenzhen formerly was AEFE-partnered, with a section for primary school students using the French system.[42]
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, in
See also
- China–European Union relations
- History of Chinese foreign policy
- Foreign relations of China
- China Policy Institute
- Historical Museum of French-Chinese Friendship
- Chinese diaspora in France
References
- ^ "French Ministry of Foreign Affairs".
- ^ Translated by S. Bannister, 1859, A journal of the first French embassy to China, 1698-1700
- ^ Eastern Magnificence and European Ingenuity: Clocks of Late Imperial China - p. 182 by Catherine Pagani (2001) [1]
- ^ Shapely Bodies: The Image of Porcelain in Eighteenth-Century France - p. 44-52 by Christine A. Jones (2013)
- S2CID 144224740.
- ^ Alain Peyrefitte, Images de l'Empire Immobile, p. 113
- ^ Henrietta Harrison, "'A Penny for the Little Chinese': The French Holy Childhood Association in China, 1843–1951." American Historical Review 113.1 (2008): 72-92. online
- ^ Immanuel C. Hsu, Rise of modern China (1975) pp 389-94.
- ^ Lloyd E. Eastman, Throne and Mandarins: China's Search for a Policy during the Sino-French controversy, 1880-1885 (Harvard University Press, 1967) pp 102-3, 189, quoting page 202.
- ^ A. Choveaux, 1925, pp. 74–77
- ^ Olson 1991: 349
- ^ Seung-young Kim, "Open Door or Sphere of Influence?: The Diplomacy of the Japanese–French Entente and Fukien Question, 1905–1907." International History Review 41#1 (2019): 105-129; see also Review by Noriko Kawamura in H-DIPLO.
- ^ "Arrangement between France and Japan Concerning their Policies in China" American Journal of International Law, (1910) Volume 4. online
- ^ Ge Fuping, "Some Problems Concerning Institut Franco-Chinoise de Lyon [J]." Modern Chinese History Studies 5 (2000).
- ISBN 978-0199924622
- ^ Matot, p. 214-217.
- ^ Bhagwan Sahai Bunkar, "Sino-French Diplomatic Relations: 1964-81." China Report 20#1 (Feb 1984) pp 41-
- ^ Marianne Bastid‐Bruguière, "Current trends in Chinese studies in France." Journal of Modern Chinese History 2.1 (2008): 115-132.
- ^ Bigey, René; Joske, Alex (2022-03-02). "The tea leaf prince: Chinese Communist Party networks in French politics". Sinopsis. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
- ^ Hille, Kathrin; Mallet, Victor (25 April 2019). "China accuses France of illegally sailing warship in Taiwan Strait". Financial Times. The Financial Times. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ "China condemns Olympic torch disruptions" Archived April 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, France 24, April 8, 2008
- ^ "Raidissement des relations sino-françaises" Archived 2019-12-22 at the Wayback Machine, Radio France Internationale, April 15, 2008
- ^ "National flag of France with swastikas added by Chinese protesters" (in French). Reuters. 2008-04-19. Archived from the original on 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
- ^ "Anti-French rallies across China", BBC, April 19, 2008
- ^ "«Chère mademoiselle Jin Jing, je voudrais vous dire toute mon émotion...»" Archived 2008-09-02 at the Wayback Machine, Libération, April 28, 2008
- ^ "La porte-parole du ministère des AE appelle aux efforts conjoints de la Chine et de la France pour promouvoir les relations bilatérales", The People's Daily, April 23, 2008
- ^ "China ready to mend ties if France moves first" Archived 2012-03-21 at the Wayback Machine, AFP, January 22, 2009
- ^ "'Encore du travail' pour des retrouvailles entre Pékin et Paris (Raffarin)", Le Monde, February 10, 2009
- ^ Rym Momtaz, "Macron steals Trump's thunder with Chinese Airbus order: France lands €30B aviation deal with Beijing," POLITICO March 25, 2019
- ^ Rose, Michael (April 12, 2023). "Macron: France favours 'status quo' on Taiwan, position unchanged". Reuters.
- ^ Cheng, Ching-tse (18 March 2021). "French senator to visit Taiwan despite China's warning". Taiwan News. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- ^ Irish, John (23 March 2021). "France summons Chinese envoy over 'unacceptable' insults". Reuters. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- ^ a b c Anderlini, Jamil; Caulcutt, Clea (9 April 2023). "Europe must resist pressure to become 'America's followers,' says Macron". politico.eu. POLITICO. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ^ Lawler, Dave (2 July 2020). "The 53 countries supporting China's crackdown on Hong Kong". Axios. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ Cheng, Ching-Tse (23 March 2021). "France summons Chinese envoy over insults to pro-Taiwan researcher". Taiwan News. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- ^ "Unfavorable Views of China Reach Historic Highs in Many Countries". Pew Research. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ Number of Chinese tourist arrivals at accommodation in France 2008-2018, Jan 13, 2020
- Huffington Post, 07/18/2014
- ^ "Ambassade de la Republique Populaire de Chine en Republique Francaise" [Embassy of the People's Republic of China in French Republic]. Archived from the original on 2002-10-02. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
- ^ "La France en Chine" [France in China]. Archived from the original on 2017-01-04. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
- ^ "École française internationale de Shenzhen (EFIS)". Agency for French Education Abroad. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
- AEFE. Retrieved on May 14, 2016.
- AEFE. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
Adresse No.2, Huanshan Cun, Wenquan Zhen, District Haidian, 100095, Pékin, Chine
References
- The China Quarterly, vol. 169, Cambridge University Press, 2002, pp. 33–44, S2CID 154406766
Further reading
- Becker, Bert. "France and the Gulf of Tonkin region: Shipping markets and political interventions in south China in the 1890s." Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review 4.2 (2015): 560–600. online
- Bonin, Hubert. French banks in Hong Kong (1860s-1950s): Challengers to British banks?" Groupement de Recherches Economiques et Sociales No. 2007-15. 2007.
- Bunkar, Bhagwan Sahai. "Sino-French Diplomatic Relations: 1964-81" China Report (Feb 1984) 20#1 pp 41–52
- Césari, Laurent, & Denis Varaschin. Les Relations Franco-Chinoises au Vingtieme Siecle et Leurs Antecedents ["Sino-French relations in the 20th century and their antecedents"] (2003) 290 pp.
- Chesneaux, Jean, Marianne Bastid, and Marie-Claire Bergere. China from the Opium Wars to the 1911 Revolution (1976) Online.
- Cabestan, Jean-Pierre. "Relations between France and China: towards a Paris-Beijing axis?." China: an international journal 4.2 (2006): 327–340. online
- Christiansen, Thomas, Emil Kirchner, and Uwe Wissenbach. The European Union and China (Macmillan International Higher Education, 2019).
- Clyde, Paul Hibbert, and Burton F. Beers. The Far East: A History of Western Impacts and Eastern Responses, 1830-1975 (1975). online
- Cotterell, Arthur. Western Power in Asia: Its Slow Rise and Swift Fall, 1415 - 1999 (2009) popular history; excerpt
- Eastman, Lloyd E. Throne and Mandarins: China's Search for a Policy during the Sino-French controversy, 1880-1885 (Harvard University Press, 1967)
- Gundry, Richard S. ed. China and Her Neighbours: France in Indo-China, Russia and China, India and Thibet (1893), magazine articles online.
- Hughes, Alex. France/China: intercultural imaginings (2007) online
- Mancall, Mark. China at the center: 300 years of foreign policy (1984). passim.
- Martin, Garret. "Playing the China Card? Revisiting France's Recognition of Communist China, 1963–1964." Journal of Cold War Studies 10.1 (2008): 52–80.
- Morse, Hosea Ballou. International Relations of the Chinese Empire: The Period of Conflict: 1834-1860. (1910) online
- Morse, Hosea Ballou. The Trade and Administration of the Chinese Empire (1908) online
- Pieragastini, Steven. "State and Smuggling in Modern China: The Case of Guangzhouwan/Zhanjiang." Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review 7.1 (2018): 118–152. online
- Skocpol, Theda. "France, Russia, China: A structural analysis of social revolutions." Comparative Studies in Society and History 18.2 (1976): 175–210.
- Upton, Emory. The Armies of Asia and Europe: Embracing Official Reports on the Armies of Japan, China, India, Persia, Italy, Russia, Austria, Germany, France, and England (1878). Online
- Wellons, Patricia. "Sino‐French relations: Historical alliance vs. economic reality." Pacific Review 7.3 (1994): 341–348.
- Weske, Simone. "The role of France and Germany in EU-China relations." CAP Working Paper (2007) online.
- Young, Ernest. Ecclesiastical Colony: China's Catholic Church and the French Religious Protectorate, (Oxford UP, 2013)
- List of sources from Sciences-Po