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The franceinfo Talk looks at the Chinese president’s diplomatic visit to France this week. Ludo Pauchant receives the former French ambassador to China, Sylvie Bermann, the specialist in contemporary China Emmanuel Véron and Christian Lequesne, specialist in diplomatic issues.
May 6 and 7the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, was expected on a state visit to France. A visit to celebrate this year the 60 years of their diplomatic relations. Xi Jinping’s last visit to Europe dates back to 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.
60 years of a “special relationship” with China
On January 27, 1964, France was the first Western country to recognize Mao Zedong’s China. “By establishing official relations with this country, with this State, France is only recognizing the world as it is.” declared General de Gaulle.
60 years later, France records a trade deficit of 50 billion euros in China, the gap between the democratic values of the West and those of Xi Jinping is growing. The aim of this visit is to address various subjects in the economic, security, environmental and ecological fields or even the taboo subject of human rights.
The former Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves le Drian, retorted on France Inter, Monday May 6, that China “is not [notre] friend, but not [notre] enemy neither”, proof of a singular and special relationship between our country and that of Xi Jinping.