AN14-CH2B: 2 blocks 50 YEARS CHINA-FRANCE RELATIONS 2014 - XI JINPING - HOLLANDE

03.25-28.2014: State visit to France by the President of the People's Republic of China, Mr. Xi Jinping.

50 years ago, on January 27, 1964, when Europe was in the midst of the Cold War, General de Gaulle took the bold initiative of establishing diplomatic relations with China and Chairman Mao Tse-Tung. He was thus the first Western leader to recognize Communist China.

As part of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and China, Chinese President Xi Jinping was received with great fanfare by French President François Hollande for his three-day state visit to France: State at the Elysée Palace, speech to 400 companies from both countries as part of the Franco-Chinese economic forum, concert at the Palace of Versailles, private dinner at the Grand Trianon. A historical and cultural visit largely devoted to economic issues and contracts between Paris and Beijing, thus reviving economic ties between the two countries. The result is a harvest of Franco-Chinese commercial contracts for an amount of $18 billion in the aviation, nuclear, agriculture and urban development sectors.