President Xi Jinping lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris yesterday. Deal-making and commemorations of a half-century of French diplomatic ties with China were the order of business during Xi's three-day visit, part of his European tour.
By Li Hongmei
Business was by no means the only topic for President Xi Jinping's three-day state visit to France, but it is the focus at an economic forum, as French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici called for more Chinese investment in France in a bid to boost jobs and growth.
French companies are keen to get a bite of the huge Chinese market and Paris also wants investment from the fast-growing country.
At the economic forum, which took place after Xi and his French counterpart Francois Hollande oversaw the signing of 50 deals worth 18 billion euros (US$25 billion), some 500 businesses met as well as Chinese and French ministers.
Chinese Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng called on Paris "to further facilitate Chinese investors setting up (in France) on a legal level," referring to the mammoth red tape businesses have to go through in France.
He said that in exchange "China is ready to import more French products" to rebalance trade between the two countries, which is heavily tilted toward China.
Last year, France had a trade deficit with China worth 25.8 billion euros.
"Chinese investments are decisive for us, we are determined to attract them when they create jobs," he said.
His comments came as the number of jobless in France rose by 0.9 percent in February to a new record of 3.34 million, in what is likely to increase the deep unpopularity of Hollande's government.
The forum was expected to generate scores of small-scale deals, a day after the multi-billion-dollar contracts signed at the presidency made headlines.
By far the biggest deal was a Chinese order for 70 Airbus planes worth more than US$10 billion.
The order covers the purchase of 43 mid-range A320 planes and 27 long-haul A330s.
Airbus Helicopters and China's Avicopter also announced a deal to jointly produce 1,000 civilian helicopters over 20 years.
Altogether, the two countries signed agreements in areas as varied as the nuclear, financial and automotive sectors.
But business was far from Xi's mind when he visited the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in Paris.
There, he met with UNESCO head Irina Bokova and delivered a speech drawing on famous poets and writers to highlight his country's long history and the importance of cultural diversity.
"China appreciates UNESCO's advocacy of cultural diversity and focus on universal education, especially its priority on gender equality and Africa," Xi told Bokova.
Xi said China was ready to increase support for the UN body, especially in helping African countries and the least developed countries promote sustainable development and cultural preservation.
