The Sino-french Industrial Coope Ration From The 1950s To 1970s

In the framework of French-Sino relations during the Maoist period(1949-1978),the industrial cooperation between the two counties can be considered as a remarkable success.From a steady beginning in the 1950 s,their economic relations principally developed in the industrial domain in the following decade,so as to reach their peak in the 1970 s because of three favorable factors.Above all,the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 1964 offered the opportunity to create stable indispensable connections of bilateral economic contacts in the future,then the two governments also played a role as coordinators of this industrial cooperation.Besides,the improvement of Sino-American relations and the political liberalization of East-West commerce promoted by Nixon,provided a propitious international environment for the Sino-Occidental commercial development.Last but not the least,economic the plan of the Chinese government,based on the importation of Western technologies and materials,particularly the “43 plan”,provided a financial basis for the industrial cooperation with France.The results of this cooperation are considerable: Sino-French commerce obtained a large scale of obvious development;French companies benefiting from the economic openness of the Chinese market during the period of the Cultural Revolution;thanks to the implementation of these cooperation projects,particularly the “key-in-hand factories”,China accelerated the modernization of diverse industries in electricity,fertilizers,chemical fibers,communication,etc.,--while maintaining the balance of its economic development.