Establishment of Sino-French Diplomatic Relations

Considering the importance of establishing diplomatic relations between China and France to the development of relations between China and other West European countries, China adopted a flexible attitude towards the specific steps to be taken in establishing the diplomatic relations while maintaining its principled position of opposing the creation of ?two Chinas?. After China and France reached a tacit agreement on France Recognizing the Government of the People?s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, China accepted the French proposal, i.e. to announce the establishment of Sino-French diplomatic relations first, thus leading to the severance of ?diplomatic relations? between France and Taiwan. Later on, through negotiations in Switzerland between their representatives on specific matters concerning the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and France finally issued a joint communiqué on 27 January 1964, announcing the establishment of their diplomatic relations with ambassadors to be appointed within three months. Pursuant to the prior agreement between the two sides, a spokesman of the Chinese foreign Ministry was authorized to issue a statement on 28 January concerning the establishment of the diplomatic relations in which he pointed out: ?It was in the capacity of the sole legal government representing all the Chinese People that the Government of the People?s Republic of China entered into negotiations and reached agreement with the Government of the French Republic on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. According to international practice, recognition of the new government of a country naturally implies ceasing to recognize to old ruling group overthrown by the people of the country?. Under such circumstances, the Taiwan authorities withdrew their ?embassy? in France. Afterwards, Charge d?Affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in France arrived in Paris. France thus became the first big country in the west to establish formal diplomatic relations with China. This was a major breakthrough in China?s efforts to strengthen its relations with Western Europe and another heavy blow to the U.S. policy of isolating China.