China and France signed deals in aviation, nuclear energy and other sectors on Thursday after French President Francois Hollande and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held talks focused on economic issues. The deals included one for China to purchase 60 Airbus passenger planes and another pledging co-operation on recycling of nuclear waste, two sectors that Hollande said were "pillars of French-Chinese co-operation."
Hollande told reporters that France''s large trade deficit with China was a "big problem," after Xi promised that his country would increase imports of French products. In return, France agreed to create a "good environment" for Chinese investments, the Chinese foreign ministry said. In potentially the biggest deal, the state-run China Aviation Supplies Holding Company signed a "general terms agreement" to buy 42 Airbus A320 planes and 18 A330s.