By IANS
Beijing : China and France signed major deals for passenger jets and nuclear reactors worth $27 billion Monday, after the presidents of the two nations vowed greater cooperation in trade and international affairs as part of a four-point plan for the development of relations between the two countries.
French President Nicholas Sarkozy and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao attended signing ceremonies for 21 agreements at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.
Aviation firm Airbus signed two deals worth an estimated 10 billion euros ($14.8 billion) for 160 passenger jets, DPA reported.
The Airbus deals included a framework agreement with China’s state-run aviation export company for the purchase of 110 A320 passenger planes and 40 A330s, plus an order by China Southern Airlines for 10 A330s.
An Airbus official said the larger deal was a “general terms agreement”, with the purchasing airlines and timescale for delivery to be worked out later, according to DPA.
The total list price of the 160 aircraft was 11.7 billion euros ($17.4 billion), the official said.
French nuclear power firm Areva signed what it said was the biggest-ever contract in the industry, an 8-billion-euro ($11.8 billion) deal to build two European pressurized-water reactors in Taishan city in the southern province of Guangdong.
Areva said it also planned to set up an engineering joint venture with the Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation, which agreed to buy 35 percent of the uranium produced by Areva’s African-based subsidiary UraMin.
The China National Nuclear Corporation signed a separate agreement to cooperate with Areva on feasibility studies for the construction of a spent fuel reprocessing-recycling plant in China.
“This partnership represents a major step in the history of the Areva group,” Areva chief executive Anne Lauvergeon was quoted as saying after the signing.
“It is the largest international commercial contract ever won by the French nuclear industry,” Lauvergeon said. “It reaffirms our global nuclear leadership and reinforces our presence in one of the most promising markets for the decades to come.”
Other documents signed Monday included a joint statement on fighting climate change, and cooperation agreements on urban sustainable development, disease prevention, product safety and telecommunications.
Xinhua adds: President Hu proposed greater cooperation with France on nuclear energy, aviation and aerospace as part of a four-point plan for the development of relations between the two countries.
During his talks with the French President Nicolas Sarkozy here, Hu outlined the points in his proposal.
The first point in the proposal was intended to deepen bilateral political relations and enhance strategic mutual trust.
The second was to further strengthen multilateral cooperation to jointly meet challenges.
The Chinese side will conduct strategic dialogue and cooperation with the French side, and strengthen consultation and coordination on global issues and in major international affairs, so as to jointly push forward the building of a harmonious world with lasting peace and common prosperity.
The third is to expand bilateral economic and trade cooperation.
The fourth is to further bilateral cultural exchanges. The two countries should continue promoting exchanges and cooperation in culture, education, science, technology, sports and tourism.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Beijing Sunday afternoon for his first state visit to China since taking office in May.