China on Monday signed a huge deal to buy 290 Airbus A320 and 10 A350 airliners, the French presidency announced.
The signing of the deal came as Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks at the Elysee Palace with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron who welcomed the sale as "an excellent signal" of the strength of trade between the two countries.
The order, originally for 184 A320s for 13 Chinese airlines, was announced during Macron's state visit to China in January 2018. It was signed in Paris by Airbus and the China Aviation Supplies Holding Company.
Macron calls for a 'strong Europe-China partnership'
Paris (AFP) March 25, 2019 –
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for a "strong Europe-China partnership" following talks with visiting President Xi Jinping, as he seeks to forge a unified European approach to Beijing's growing global clout.
This partnership must be based on "strong multilateralism" and "fair and balanced" trade, Macron told reporters ahead of further talks Tuesday in Paris with Xi, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker to explore "points of convergence" between the two trading giants.
In his own statement, Xi, said China "needs a united and prosperous Europe".
He also called on Europe to adopt "a coherent strategy" in its dealings with his country.
It comes after the Chinese leader concluded a visit to Italy, in which the nation became the first G7 state to sign up to Xi's vast "New Silk Road" infrastructure project that has sparked unease in the US and the European Union.
