Waitresses stand beside the Chinese and French flags at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday, as they prepare to serve guests during a ceremony to mark the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France 50 years ago. Photo: AFP

China and France will seek to inject new vigor into their 50-year friendship, as the two countries on Monday kicked off year-long celebrations to mark the anniversary of diplomatic ties.

Experts say that cooperation lies at the core of the relationship between China and France despite existing differences on ideology and political systems. Their bilateral relations are expected to play a significant role in driving forward China-EU relations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with French counterpart Francois Hollande on Monday to mark the historic day, hailing bilateral ties and pledging to work together to deepen ties.

On January 27, 1964, then French president Charles de Gaulle announced the establishment of relations at the ambassadorial level with China, making France the first major Western country to build diplomatic ties with China.

The decision was unimaginable against the backdrop of the Cold War and has exerted a significant influence on history, Claude Bartolone, French parliamentary speaker, told a press conference in Beijing on Monday.

Bartolone led a delegation to visit China from Thursday to Monday.

"Out of all Western nations, China and France have one of the best bilateral relationships, both politically and economically. This plays a major role in the EU's policies toward China," Feng Zhongping, director of the Institute of European Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times.

Hollande was the first Western head of state to visit China after the change in leadership in March 2013. Xi is scheduled to make a return visit this year, which according to the Hong Kong-based Ta Kung Pao paper will occur on March 26-27.

However, it wasn't always plain sailing for bilateral ties. Paris irked Beijing in the 1990s for its sale of frigates to Taiwan, and the relationship was again soured in 2008 after former French president Nicolas Sarkozy met the Dalai Lama.

"While there is still friction and differences, cooperation remains dominant in driving bilateral ties. Both sides are able to solve the problems through dialogue and compromise," Feng said.

As China and the US seek a new model of major power relations, the model can also be applied to China's ties with European countries. It will therefore be much easier for China and France to build such a relationship, Qu Xing, director of the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times.

"France doesn't seek hegemony or see China as a threat and it will be easier for China, a representative of emerging economies, to build a relationship with France similar to that between China and the US and set an example for the rest of Europe," Qu said.

More than 300 celebratory activities this year will push Sino-French relations to a higher level, Qu added, noting that breakthroughs can be expected in the expansion of fields of cooperation.

France has called for new vitality in bilateral ties, especially in the economic front.

The trade volume between China and France stood at $49.8 billion in 2013, statistics from China's General Administration of Customs showed.

Despite the sound political relationship of the two countries, economic and trade ties lag behind. In 2012, France's deficit against China accounted for 40 percent of its total trade deficit.

The deficit is a result of small- and medium-sized enterprises in France being cautious of entering new markets. Now they know more about China, they will endeavor to bring their high-tech and other products to China, which will help rebalance the trade deficit, Bartolone said.

Cooperation between the two nations now mainly focuses on nuclear energy and aeronautics as well as astronautics.

Future potential sectors of cooperation could include agriculture, public welfare systems such as the elder care system, and environmental protection in the face of rapid urbanization, Bartolone said.

Also as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, from Monday Chinese visitors to France can have their visa processed in only two days. In 2012, the number of Chinese visitors to France reached 1.4 million, and the nation hopes to attract many more.