These relations are also known as Sino-French relations or Franco-Chinese relations.

Even though the meaning of “China” and “France” has changed over the ages, the following posts will discuss the relations as they existed using the definitions of China and France as they existed at the time of the relationship.

See also

• 17th and 18th France-China Century Relations
• 19th Century France-China Relations
• France-China Twentieth Century

They were allowed to go and came back believing the Chinese and the French were protected by the same angel and that the countries had a lot of similarities. Under Louis XIV’s reign, the work of these researchers had a large influence on Chinese sciences.

At the same time, the first known Chinese people came to France. Arcade Huang came to the French Kingdom in 1702 and started the first ever Chinese-French dictionary before dying in 1716. He died before finishing his work.

According to the treaty, France was allowed to trade as merchants at five Chinese harbors and there was a fixed tariff on Sino-French trade. Consuls were opened up in China. In addition, China legalized the practice of Christianity at the request of the French.

In 1860, the French army ransacked the Chinese Emperor’s Summer Palace, the spoils of which can be seen today in French museum. In 1884-1885 was the Sino-French War or the Franco-Chinese War fought between the French Third Republic and the Qing Empire. The fight was for control over the Red River from Hanoi to the resource-filled Yunnan province in China. There were wins and losses on both sides with the war ending in the Treaty of Hue.

French Indochina was formed in October 1887 from Annam, Tonkin, Cochin China (who together form modern Vietnam) and the Kingdom of Cambodia. Laos was added after the Franco-Siamese War of 1893.

This was done with France’s official recognition of the People’s Republic of China.

Deng Xiaoping completed his studies in Paris before ascending to power in China after Mao Tse Tung.

In the 1990’s France and the People’s Republic of China clashed over China’s One China Policy and France sold weapons to Taiwan. This caused a temporary closure of the French Consulate in China. Eventually, diplomatic relations resumed in 1994. In today’s time, the Sino-French relations are primarily economic.