i am a french citizen and want to go to China from the USA can i apply for a visa here in the usa?

You can try to apply for China visa in USA, Temporary foreign visitors with a valid US visa or foreign residents with legitimate status in the US, may apply for Chinese visa to the Visa Office of the Chinese Embassy. The visa officer may ask the applicant to provide the original and photocopy of their US Green Card,Work Permit,I-20 Form, valid US Visa or other additional documents and make a decision on whether to issue the visa case by case.