China published its largest Chinese-French contemporary dictionary, containing around seven million words, after 16 years of compilation work.

As the largest Chinese-French dictionary compiled by China independently, it has included more than 110,000 items totaling about seven million words, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The dictionary’s launch this year also marks the 50th anniversary of China-France diplomatic ties.

The new dictionary comes at the right time to promote cultural exchanges between the two countries, Cao Deming, president of Shanghai International Studies University (SISU), said at the launch ceremony held in Guangdong Province’s Guangzhou City.

Deepened cooperation and more personal exchanges have led to the publication of a better and comprehensive dictionary, he added.