France–Taiwan relations

French and Chinese forces engaged in battles around Taiwan in the late 19th century. In the early 20th century, the French Third Republic established diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (ROC). In 1964, France became the first major Western power to establish ambassadorial level diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC) instead but continued to sell major weapon platforms to the ROC following its retreat to Taiwan. This was stepped back in 1994 when France upgraded its relations with the PRC and recognized Taiwan as Chinese territory. Relations have improved significantly since then. Military relations have been impacted by scandals like the Taiwan frigate scandal and Taiwan Mirage affair.