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Handshake between Zhao Ziyang, on the right, and Etienne Davignon

China-Western Europe Relations

 This collection follows China's relations with countries in Western Europe from the early 1950s through the 1980s. It includes documents from China, Italy, France, West Germany, and other countries. See also the Digital Archive collection: Sino-French Normalization, 1964.For materials on China's relations with Eastern Europe, see China-Eastern Europe Relations.

Handshake between Zhao Ziyang, on the right, and Etienne Davignon

Popular Documents

September 5, 1958

Speech, Mao Zedong at the Fifteenth Meeting of the Supreme State Council (excerpt)

Mao Zedong speaks about American foreign policy and the tense international situation following the Chinese decision to begin shelling Jinmen Island in the Taiwan Strait.

February 8, 1961

Record of Conversation from Chairman Mao’s Reception of French Senator François Mitterrand

Mao Zedong and Francois Mitterrand discussed interests and conflicts over the Algeria Revolution and sought ways to peacefully reconcile differences.

August 24, 1954

Mao Zedong, 'On the Intermediate Zone, Peaceful Coexistence, Sino-British and Sino-U.S. Relations'

In this excerpt, Mao speaks with a delegation from the British Labour Party and argues that Britain changed its attitude toward China after World War II because of the United States. He emphasizes that China and Britain can not only coexist in peace, but can cooperate and trade with each other.

July 13, 1954

Minutes, Zhou Enlai's Meeting with Mendès-France (Excerpt)

The minutes of the meeting between Zhou Enlai and Pierre Mendès-France. The topic of the discussion mostly revolves around the question of the demarcation line in Vietnam and the progress of the Geneva Conference.

November 30, 1965

Transcript of Conversation between Zhou Enlai and Jean Chauvel

Premier Zhou and a representative from the French foreign ministry, Jean Chauvel, talk about the Vietnam War. Zhou voices China's support for Vietnamese people's requests for U.S. troops to withdraw from Vietnam and not interfere in Vietnamese internal issues. Zhou says that the U.S. has not comply to Vietnam's request and has on the contrary expanded the war. Chauvel agrees with Zhou that the final decision about the Vietnamese War should be made by Vietnamese people. Chauvel says that the priority should be to stop the current war and calls for a ceasefire to solve the issue. Zhou cites the U.S. expansion of troops and continued involvement in Vietnam as the cause of heightened tension in Vietnam War.