Sixty years after the establishment of their diplomatic relations, France and China
“must increasingly seek ways of a partnership”
which
“contributes to international peace and stability
,” Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday.
“On January 27, 1964, General de Gaulle made the historic decision to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, at a time when the world was confronted with an insurmountable logic of blocs
,” recalls the French president in a video posted on social networks, adding that
“evidence and reason call on our two countries to seek answers to global challenges together”
.
He cites in particular
“climate change, loss of biodiversity, food security and development”
.
The French president thus responds to a video message published Friday by his counterpart Xi Jinping, who also praised the ties between the two countries.
France and China, permanent members of the UN Security Council, have
“the responsibility to contribute to the resolution of international crises, in particular in the face of flagrant violations of the principles on which international law is based”
, also declares Emmanuel Macron without explicitly citing the two major conflicts of the moment: the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Series of events
In this video, the French president lists a series of events and cultural exchanges between the two countries which, throughout the year, will mark this anniversary.
“Our artists, our writers, our researchers, our entrepreneurs, our tourists, our students will be able to forge new links, create new projects and thus build the relationship of tomorrow,”
he rejoices, pleading particularly for the development of relations between Chinese and French youth.
Emmanuel Macron visited China in April.
At the end of this visit, he called on the European Union not to be
“follower”
of the United States on the question of Taiwan, comments criticized in the West but welcomed in China.