French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné will visit China on Monday, Chinese diplomacy announced on Friday, as the two countries celebrate 60 years of their diplomatic relations this year.
“At the invitation of Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China
and Minister of Foreign Affairs, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Stéphane Séjourné will visit China on April 1
,” declared Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On Monday, the French minister will be received by his Chinese counterpart at the Diaoyutai complex in Beijing, where foreign officials are welcomed. He will also participate in the launch of the exhibition
“Versailles and the Forbidden City”
, at the Forbidden City in Beijing, where around sixty works of art and precious objects from the Château de Versailles.
“This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, as well as the year of cultural tourism between the two countries
,” recalled the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.
Also read: France-China: cultural diplomacy is in full swing
"In recent years, under the joint leadership of the two heads of state, relations between China and France have maintained good momentum of development, with frequent high-level exchanges and continuous promotion of exchanges and cooperation in various areas
,” he underlined.
General de Gaulle's visit in 1964, an example of independent diplomacy
This is the second time in less than six months that a French foreign minister has visited China, following the visit last November of Stéphane Séjourné's predecessor, Catherine Colonna. French President Emmanuel Macron visited China in April 2023. France, under the leadership of General de Gaulle, was in 1964 the first major Western country to establish diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level with the People's Republic. from China.
This decision, audacious at the time, is regularly cited as an example of independent diplomacy by Chinese officials, as was done by the head of Chinese diplomacy Wang Yi during his visit to Paris in February.
“China appreciates France’s attachment to the independence and autonomy”
of its policies, Wang Yi declared to Emmanuel Macron, according to comments reported by his ministry.