Relationship dossier
People's Republic of China
France
Relationship assessment
Sustained engagement and bilateral cooperation coexist with significant strategic and political disagreements.
People's Republic of China toward France
+15China has pursued high-level engagement and bilateral agreements with France, including during Xi Jinping's 2024 state visit. Chinese sanctions on European Union figures in 2021, including French representatives, also contributed to friction with the French government.
France toward People's Republic of China
+15France has maintained high-level diplomatic engagement with China and pursued bilateral cooperation, including during President Emmanuel Macron's 2023 visit to China. France also supported European Union sanctions on Chinese officials in 2021 and has pressed for fairer trade conditions and reciprocity in economic relations.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship rests on sustained diplomatic engagement and practical cooperation, including high-level visits and bilateral agreements. It is constrained by recurring disagreements over human rights, trade practices, and security, as well as France's participation in European Union measures concerning China. These features support a mixed but somewhat cooperative overall assessment.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
China and France maintain a substantial relationship that combines sustained diplomatic and economic engagement with significant strategic and political disagreements. The two governments have pursued cooperation through high-level visits and bilateral agreements, while disputes over human rights, trade practices, and security policy have periodically strained ties. France also acts within the European Union on China-related policy, including sanctions and efforts to address trade concerns.
Areas of tension
- French and European Union criticism of human-rights policies in Xinjiang and China's response with sanctions.
- French and European concerns about trade imbalances, market access, and economic reciprocity.
- Differences over security policy and China's role in the Indo-Pacific.
Key developments
France established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.
The European Union imposed sanctions on Chinese officials over human-rights concerns in Xinjiang; China retaliated with sanctions on European figures, including French representatives.
French President Emmanuel Macron visited China for high-level talks and discussions of bilateral and international issues.
Chinese President Xi Jinping made a state visit to France, with the two governments discussing bilateral cooperation and international issues.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral commitments reached during high-level visits are unclear.
- The extent to which recent trade and investment disagreements affect practical cooperation is uncertain.