Relations Between France and China: Towards a Paris-Beijing Axis‪?‬

Toward a Franco-Chinese "Global Partnership" After the foundation of the People's Republic of China, only a handful of neutral and Nordic Western European nations recognised the new Beijing regime. (1) Thus, General de Gaulle's decision in 1964 to set up diplomatic relations with the PRC heralded a change of policy among Western states--the recognition of the principle of reality--which later lead to China's entry into the United Nations (1971), Nixon's visit (1972) and the PRC's gradual integration into the world community.