GUANGDONG Governor Mr Zhu Senlin said yesterday some of the Guangzhou Metro contracts might be given to French companies despite the French Government's decision to sell Mirage fighter jets to Taiwan.
Speaking after a meeting with a group of Hongkong businessmen led by Mr Henry Fok Ying-tung, Mr Zhu said Guangzhou had originally planned to co-operate with France on the construction of its Metro project, but the plan was jeopardised by the aircraft sale.
Mr Zhu revealed that French companies would have been given preferential treatment because Guangzhou enjoyed friendly relations with French city Lyons.
And French companies had taken part in the design of the Metro system, according to Mr Zhu.
But after the decision to sell the Mirage fighters, relations had soured. In addition, the conditions provided by French companies bidding for the Metro contracts were not as competitive as others.
''Thus not all contracts would be awarded to the French companies. They might be given some of the contracts instead,'' Mr Zhu said.