French President Seeks Deal with China over Airbus SalesFrench President Jacques Chirac said Tuesday he hoped a deal "will be concluded very quickly" on plans by the European consortium Airbus Industrie to sell aircraft to China.Chirac, telephoned by Chinese President Jiang Zemin to discuss the results of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit last weekend in Shanghai, spoke of "cooperation in the aeronautic field," spokeswoman for the French presidency Catherine Colonna said. She said Chirac talked in particular about Airbus sales plans in China, "as he has done every time (when speaking) with the Chinese president." "The discussions are coming along in an open manner. He (Chirac) hopes that an agreement can be finalized very quickly," she added. An agreement could be reached when German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder visits Beijing at the end of the month. According to press reports, Airbus Industrie is currently negotiating the sale to China of 30 to 50 A320 aircraft. The value of the deal, calculated at catalogue prices, could range from US$1.5 billion to US$2.7 billion (from 1.68 billion euros to 3.03 billion euros) depending on the models and number of aircraft ordered. |
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