Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Mauritania on July 19, 1965, bilateral relations have been developing steadily. In September 2024, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani attended the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), during which China and Mauritania established a strategic partnership.

The two sides have close high-level exchanges. During the first China-Arab States Summit in December 2022, President Xi Jinping met with Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani. Visits from the Chinese side to Mauritania mainly include: Special Envoy of President Xi Jinping and Minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission Li Bin (August 2014), Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) Qiangba Puncog (December 2016), Foreign Minister Wang Yi (May 2017), Special Envoy of President Xi Jinping and Vice Chairperson of the NPC Standing Committee Wang Dongming (August 2019), Special Envoy of President Xi Jinping and Vice Chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Wang Guangqian (August 2024).

Visits from the Mauritanian side to China or to attend diplomatic events in China: President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani (July 2023, September 2024), Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug (May 2024).

China has long been Mauritania's largest trading partner. In 2024, the trade volume between China and Mauritania reached USD 2.42 billion, of which China's exports amounted to USD 1.04 billion and imports totaled USD 1.38 billion. China's main export commodities include tea, light textile products, building materials, hardware, agricultural machinery, and household appliances, among others, and mainly imports iron ore and fishery products, among others. In September 2024, China announced that it would grant Mauritania zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines.

The two countries have close cultural and people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. In 1967, China and Mauritania signed an intergovernmental agreement on cultural cooperation, and since then the two sides have signed two implementation plans for cultural cooperation. Since 1968, China has sent medical teams to Mauritania from Heilongjiang Province. In 1987, the University of Nouakchott opened a Chinese language major. In 2019, the Confucius Institute at the University of Nouakchott was officially established.