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Kenneth Ko

CHINA is sending a high-level delegation to Washington to place orders for cars and aircraft from US manufacturers.

  According to a report from the China News Service, the Chinese delegation of 19 officials headed by Mr Gan Ziyu, Vice-Minister of the State Planning Commission, arrives in the US today.

  The Chinese team is expected to thrash out a ''handsome amount'' of orders to US firms.

  The report quoted Mr Wang Tianming, commerce counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, as saying that the value of purchase orders would be higher than that committed last year.

  China has strong demand for cars and aircraft as a result of its rapid economic growth.

  The delegation is the fourth buying mission sent from Beijing to Washington since 1990.

  China has great interest in US aircraft, electrical and mechanical equipment, wheat, cotton, integrated fibres, paper and fertilisers.

  Last year it expanded the list to include cars, and the three major US carmakers obtained US$130 million worth of orders from Beijing.

  According to the report, Mr Wang said that if the US promised to relax the policy on exports of advanced technology to China, imports from Washington to Beijing would grow further.

  He said China and the US were both big countries with tremendous potential for growth in their markets.

 According to Chinese customs figures, trade between China and the US amounted to $17.49 billion, representing only 1.7 per cent of US foreign trade, he said.

  ''Even based on the US figures that Sino-US trade was $33.1 billion, it only represents 3.4 per cent of the total amount,'' he said.

  Mr Wang said he wanted better trade conditions, and that China was keen to build better contacts in other areas such as the operation and management of securities and futures markets.

  China is Boeing's second biggest purchaser. The Chinese delegation will make its first stop at Seattle, the headquarters of Boeing, followed by visits to Detroit, New York and Washington.

  The Chinese will meet US business executives, government officials and Congress members, seeking to pave the way for smoother Sino-US trade development.

  As of September 30, there were 3,900 US-funded investment projects in China worth $6.34 billion, of which $2.89 billion would be invested by the US partners.

   Meanwhile, the shortage of civil aircraft in China has been eased with the signing of two deals to lease 13 passenger jets.

  Mainland airlines have been struggling to keep up with the rapidly increasing demand for aviation in China.

  Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services of Australia is to lease six aircraft to China Northern Airlines and Air China.

  China Northern, based in Shenyang, will get two Airbus A300-600Rs delivered in May and June, while Air China is to receive four Boeing 737-300s.

  The first of Air China's Boeings will be delivered this month, with the others being phased in during the next two years.

  They will be based in Hohot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, and will offer services to regional Chinese centres.

  Guangdong-based China Southern is to lease seven Boeing aircraft from GPA Group of Ireland.

  It has agreed to lease four B737-500s and three B737-300s for an average term of 10 years each.

      GPA was the first aircraft leasing company to introduce the operating lease in China in 1990 and is by far the largest provider of leased aircraft in the market.

  These two deals follow last week's announcement that China Northern and China Northwest would each buy six A300-600R passenger jets from European consortium Airbus Industrie, together worth $1.2 billion.



China team on US buying spree