President Xi Jinping’s visit to France comes at the 60th anniversary of China-France relations. The January 27th joint communique between China and France 60 years ago, called a “diplomatic nuclear explosion” by some Western media at the time, has shaped global geopolitics fundamentally, contributing to peace and stability in the Cold War period and after that.
A stronger China-France relationship is ever more important today as the world faces economic fragmentation, loss of confidence in interconnectivity, and the looming possibility of another cold war. Just like French President Emmanuel Macron told French newspaper “La Tribune Dimanche” before he receives President Xi in Paris, “whether it’s about climate or about safety, we need the Chinese”; and the same can be said about China, too.
France has never been a nation lacking independence and vision. Sixty years ago, becoming the first among Western countries to forge formal diplomatic relations with China, General Charles de Gaulle said: “The specificity of China, its value and present needs, and the dimension of its future make it reveal itself increasingly to the interests and concerns of the entire world. For these reasons, it is evident that France must be able to hear China directly while simultaneously making itself heard.” In 2017, President Macron brought up the revolutionary concept of sovereignty and strategic autonomy for the European Union during a speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris. The idea means EU nations should be able to act autonomously and independently of other countries in strategically important areas. Both de Gaulle and Macron have shown that France is a leader in strategic positioning.
To continue to be a leader in the ever-shifting global geopolitics, France needs China’s influence. Now the world’s second-largest economy, China’s economic weight spans beyond its borders and extends into nearly every continent. Its technological advancement, though experiencing encirclement from America, sustains productivity domestically and internationally. Any global governance discussion today is not complete without China’s participation. Plus, from creating the Belt and Road Initiative to founding the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, among other things, the Chinese leadership is establishing a strategic path that is different from the traditional Western way of ideology grouping and alliance-making. Chinese foreign policy in recent years is becoming a school whose influence cannot be ignored in the decades to come.
An even more challenging task for France is to seek a reliable partner in the United States. The French leadership has been acute to realize this, as shown in Macron’s Sorbonne speech this year: “The United States of America has two priorities. America first, which is legitimate, and China. Europe is not a geopolitical priority in the coming years and decades, no matter how strong our alliance and how fortunate we are to have an administration very committed to the Ukraine conflict.” To have meaningful inter-governmental dialogue and, therefore, create a favorable and steady international environment so that attention can be focused on building up the economy at home, one needs a partner that is devoted, consistent, and effective. In this respect, China is a better choice.
On bilateral trade and economic relations, the complementarity between the two economies and the vast opportunities such complementarity brings has been self-evident. Through years of hard work and policy adjustments, China has developed a competitive advantage in manufacturing electronic products and machinery, new energy industries, and more. France excels in aerospace, nuclear energy, high-end consumer goods, agricultural products, and wines. France is now China’s third-largest trading partner in the European Union—with a total bilateral trade volume of 78.9 billion US dollars in 2023— and China’s third-largest source of actual investment. On the other hand, China is France’s largest trading partner in Asia and the 7th-largest globally. On top of all this, in critical emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, over which the international community is still setting the rules, the two need each other’s understanding and support on the negotiating table.
Being major powers also means major obligations to the world and humanity. This is particularly true in the case of China and France.
For one thing, the United States, still the most powerful nation in the world, has refused to be the peacemaker of the day and chosen to create enemies and close the door for conversations on major conflicts like the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war. Conversely, France and China are two influential powers that can provide platforms for dialogue. For another, an effective partnership between China and France has been instrumental in creating and shaping global issues that matter to us all, for instance, in forging the Iran nuclear deal, the Paris climate agreement, and so on.
In February this year, alongside Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Paris and referring to the two-state solution on the Palestinian issue, Macron said: “Our partners in the region, notably Jordan, are working on it, we are working on it with them. We are ready to contribute to it in Europe and the Security Council. The recognition of a Palestinian state is not a taboo for France.” And just a few days ago, China facilitated a talk between representatives of rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah in Beijing, during which China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the two sides “fully expressed their political will” and made “encouraging progress.”In both cases, the willingness of France and China, as major influential powers, to act as mediators is positive news for a ceasefire and eventual peace in Gaza.
On multiple occasions, the Chinese Foreign Minister has expressed hope that China and France can jointly act as a force of stability in today’s world and stressed that China regards the EU and EU nations as an essential and independent pole in a multi-polar world. The message is clear: stronger China-France relations are needed in this turbulent world.
