| January 27, 1964: China and France establish diplomatic relations. France becomes the first major Western nation to recognize the New China.
September 11-17, 1973: President Georges Pompidou is the first French president to visit China.
May 12-18, 1975: Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping visits France, making France the destination of the first official visit to a major Western state by a Chinese leader.
January 19-24, 1978: China and France sign their first scientific cooperation agreement in China.
October 15-18, 1979: Chinese Premier Hua Guofeng visits France, which is the first time for a Chinese premier. The two countries sign several documents in cultural exchange.
October 15-21, 1980: China and France sign an agreement in China to establish consulates in Shanghai and Marseille.
November 29, 2002: China sets up a cultural center in Paris, the first of its kind in Western Europe.
October 6, 2003: The Chinese Culture Year is launched in France. It is the first time that the Chinese Culture Year has gone abroad.
2003: Trade volume between China and France surpasses $10 billion for the first time, hitting $13.39 billion.
2009: France becomes China's fourth biggest trading partner within the European Union, while China is France's No. 1 trading partner in Asia.
(Compiled by Beijing Review) | 
