A process for producing an aromatic polyether ketone, comprising reacting an aromatic ehter of the formula: ##STR12## wherein each of R1 to R12 is a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a hydrocarbon group or an alkoxy group, n is an integer of 0 to 5, and X is an oxygen atom, with phosgene in an aprotic solvent having a dielectric constant lower than 20 and a dipole moment lower than 3.0, in the presen