Beijing: China said on day it hoped to
reach agreements with France on nuclear energy and civil
aviation, during President Hu Jintao's state visit to the
European nation next week.
Previous reports have said European aviation giant
Airbus is in talks for the sale of dozens of A320, A330 and
A350 jets to China -- an order that could be announced while
Hu is in France from November 4-6.
"We are positive about expanding cooperation between
the two countries in nuclear energy and civil aviation,"
Chinese vice foreign minister Fu Ying told reporters at a
briefing about the visit.
"We hope to reach some agreements and produce some
concrete outcomes on this."
Despite tense diplomatic relations in recent years,
the two nations maintain important economic ties and have an
eight-billion-euro (USD 11-billion) deal for China to build
two French-designed latest generation EPR nuclear reactors.
Airbus has opened its only assembly plant outside
Europe in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin, which has
already produced nearly 30 A320 and A319 jets.
Hu's visit comes at a time of upheaval in France, as
hundreds of thousands of people strike in a bid to stop a
pension bill that raises the minimum retirement age from 60 to
62.
Fu said China hoped the visit would "proceed
smoothly".
"The developments in France do not constitute a
concern for us and we do not have plans to cancel any
activities or even the visit," she added.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, October 28, 2010, 18:46