According to the Observer, the French ambassador to China, Bai Yutang, made a statement on Sino-French relations in an interview. It said that the French side seeks to deepen economic and trade cooperation between China and France to make the cooperation between the two sides more balanced and sustainable. Bai Yutang claimed that the French side seeks Chinese and French enterprises to compete under WTO rules and seeks equal opportunities for Chinese and French enterprises in both markets. Bai Yutang said that the EU has set up trade barriers against China in key industries such as electric vehicles, saying that China must understand that what the EU is doing now is for itself and for the future of Europe. Bai Yutang claimed that the EU is willing to compete on an equal footing with China, the United States, and other countries in the field of trade, and that the relevant measures are not deliberately aimed at China or other countries.
In addition to the Sino-European trade dispute, Bai Yutang also mentioned the positive aspects of Sino-French relations in an interview. It pointed out that 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and is also the Year of Cultural Tourism between the two countries. In 2024, France plans to hold more than 300 Sino-French cultural exchange activities in more than 30 Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hohhot, Shenyang and other places. Bai Yutang said that more than 25,000 Chinese students are studying in France, the French side is extending their visa periods, and international students are acting as ambassadors for national exchanges.
The French side is also pushing more French students to study in China, seeking to reach or exceed the pre-pandemic level, so that young French people can keep an understanding of the current situation in China. Sino-French relations are of strategic significance, and after the end of World War II, the United States took over the economic and security affairs in Europe. The political landscape of the European continent has changed, and Germany has been divided into East Germany and West Germany, and has lost its right to speak on European affairs.
Until now, Germany lacked political influence after reunification, and expanded its influence mainly through economic means. The British sphere of influence was gradually being replaced by the United States, and in this context, France was the main political power in Europe. France's relative autonomy is driven by several factors. First, as a traditional European power, France has a tradition of continentalism and the pursuit of dominance in European affairs. In the early days of the founding of the United States, France's support for the United States assisted it in resisting British pressure. France was the victor of World War II, and its position in Europe was relatively intact. Second, with the space for political autonomy, France achieved nuclear weapons in 1960, freeing itself from the nuclear bondage of the United States to a certain extent.
France, in the event of a separation from the United States, still has the three-dimensional ability to ensure its own security, which is the background of Macron's previous statement that NATO is brain dead. France's political and military autonomy is the backdrop for China to regard its relations with France as a strategic matter for a long time. The establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France in 1964 has played a leading role in the development of China and the West in the face of a haze in the relations between China and major Western countries. Exchanges with China also provide a key fulcrum for France to maintain its diplomatic independence. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Ukraine crisis and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict are reshaping the geopolitical landscape in Europe and the world.
The strategic cooperation between China and France provides a fulcrum for each other, and on the 1st of this month, French Foreign Minister Jean-Céjourne visited China. A few months ago, in November last year, former French Foreign Minister Colonna visited China. The diplomatic itinerary of the French side reflects the crucial nature of Sino-French diplomacy. Strategic coordination is the primary attribute of Sino-French relations, and under this framework, China and France have a series of mutually beneficial cooperation in civil nuclear energy, aviation, agriculture, people-to-people and other fields, and there are currently disputes in emerging industries represented by electric vehicles.
France has pushed the EU to set up trade barriers for Chinese electric vehicles, trying to reserve space for French car companies in the European market through administrative means. At the same time, China is also conducting an anti-dumping investigation on EU brandy, and French brandy accounts for more than 9% of EU brandy supply. There is no shortage of confrontations under the framework of overall cooperation and strategic mutual benefit, which will be the norm in China-France relations.