April 9-13, 1996, Chinese Premier Li Peng visited France. During his visit, he and President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Alain Juppe discussed a wide range of issues and reached a consensus on the international situation and bilateral relations. Thirteen cooperation projects were signed between the governments and companies, of which the most notable was the $1.89 billion deal where China purchased three Airbus A340 and 30 Airbus A320 jets from France.

May 15-18，1997, President Jacques Chirac paid a state visit to China. The Chinese and French heads of state signed the Joint Statement which announced the establishment of a comprehensive partnership between China and France. This was the most important document signed between the two countries since 1964. In addition, China and France also signed an “Agreement on Environmental Cooperation,” “Development of Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy Cooperation,” “Research and Peaceful Use of Outer Space Cooperation Agreement” and a “Health and Medical Sciences Cooperation Agreement.”

April 6-7, 1998, Premier Zhu Rongji visited France. He spoke with the French president, prime minister, and senate president on bilateral relations and international issues.

Sept 24-26, 1998, Prime Minister Lionel Jospin visited China. The main purpose of this trip was to promote trade with China. China and France signed a financial protocol, the “Action for the New Information Technology,” the “Intellectual Property Cooperation Agreement”, a cooperation agreement between the Chinese Ministry of Science and the French National Power Company and 14 business agreements, worth a total $345 million, covering water treatment, finance, environmental protection and other issues. China and France also decided to issue a statement on the establishment of the Cooperation Council of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

October 21-26, 1999, President Jiang Zemin paid a state visit to France and held talks with Chirac and other French leaders. The two countries reached a consensus on the development of a multi-polar world that should further strengthen dialogue and cooperation between the EU and China. The two sides also exchanged views on the “Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty ” and other major international and regional issues. To further strengthen cooperation, the two countries decided to establish a hotline between their heads of state, and to strengthen the consultation mechanism with the UN representatives. France reaffirmed its adherence to the One China policy and expressed support for China's accession to the WTO. The visit laid an important foundation to expand the Sino-French partnership in the 21st century.

French President Jacques Chirac welcomes Chinese President Jiang Zemin at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Oct 25, 1999.