Airbus to launch second assembly line at China factory as part of trade, tech deals between Beijing and Paris

Name: French and EU leaders urge China to ‘bring Russia to its senses’ and stop invasion of Ukraine
Uploaded: 2023-04-06T12:46:19.000Z
Duration: 2 min 36 s
Description: French and EU leaders urge China to ‘bring Russia to its senses’ and stop invasion of Ukraine

The decision, announced on sidelines of meeting between Xi Jinping and Emmanuel Macron, will double production capacity at the company’s Tianjin plant

Xi says countries will deepen cooperation in aviation, aerospace and nuclear power while fostering growth in green energy

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French and EU leaders urge China to ‘bring Russia to its senses’ and stop invasion of Ukraine

Frank Tangin Beijing

Published: 8:46pm, 6 Apr 2023Updated: 9:39am, 10 Apr 2023

European plane manufacturer Airbus announced on Thursday it would open a second assembly line in its China factory as part of agreements between Beijing and Paris to deepen trade and tech cooperation.

The decision was announced on the sidelines of the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Beijing. The deal would double the production capacity of its plant in Tianjin, a port city in northern China, potentially allowing the company to secure a bigger market share against American rival Boeing.

“It makes a lot of sense for us, as the Chinese market keeps growing, to be serving local for the Chinese airlines, and probably some other customers in the region,” Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said.

He also said the new plant is expected to launch operation by the end of 2025. Separately, China also agreed to buy 160 Airbus commercial aircraft, including 150 A320 and 10 A350-900 widebody aircraft orders.

Both sides will deepen cooperation in aviation, aerospace and civilian nuclear power, which are our traditional areas of cooperation

Xi Jinping

Beijing played up the prospects of bilateral economic cooperation.