France enhances cooperation
(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-10-28 09:17
French President Jacques Chirac visited Wuhan in Central China's Hubei
Province on Friday to boost his country's business presence in this industrial
city.
France is "ready for the most ambitious co-operation" with China,
said Chirac.
On Thursday, China signed an order to buy 150 mid-size
Airbus A320 airliners. Airbus also signed agreements to open a final assembly
line in China, its first outside Europe.
The line is "the symbol of the
will of France and its partners at Airbus to establish a strategic alliance
between Europe and China in aviation," Chirac said at a breakfast with business
leaders.
"We must extend this logic to other sectors in our partnership,"
he said, citing railways, nuclear power, telecoms and agriculture as areas for
co-operation.
At lunch, Chirac, on what is likely to be his last trip to
China as president before his term expires next May, enthusiastically applauded
as musicians played an array of racked bells and other traditional
instruments.
Chirac also inaugurated the construction of a second Wuhan
car factory run by PSA Peugeot Citroen and its Chinese partner, Dongfeng Motor
Group Co.
French firms have established a strong presence in Wuhan, a
sprawling city on the Yangtze River, which is twinned with
Bordeaux.
PSA's new plant in Wuhan will be capable of producing 150,000
cars a year. PSA's local venture sold 140,000 cars in 2005, and hopes to sell
200,000 this year.
On Saturday, Chirac will fly to Xi'an in Northwest
China's Shaanxi Province to visit the Hanyangling Museum, where countless
pottery figurines dating back more than 2,000 years are now on
display.
He will also tour the Shaanxi History Museum to see previous
relics from 13 feudal dynasties that made Xi'an their capital. (For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)
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