China and Airbus signed a $17.4 billion (€11.7 billion) deal for 160 commercial planes according to a spokesman of the European aerospace giant who shared the information with CNN. This major deal was reached during the state visit of French president Nicolas Sarkozy to Asia’s biggest country. .

Airbus also reached an agreement to fabricate five per cent of the airframe of its A350XWB in China.

During the second day of Sarkozy's trip the business ties between France and China were boosted again as the French firm Areva secured a contract to build two nuclear reactors.
This second deal between Areva and the China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation (CGNPC) is worth $11.8 billion (€8 billion), the well-known French daily newspaper Le Monde wrote. The two European pressurized-water reactors will be built in Taishan city in the southern province of Guangdong.

Another agreement was reached between Areva and the Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation which will buy 35 per cent of the uranium produced by Areva's African-based subsidiary UraMin.

"This partnership represents a major step in the history of the Areva group," Areva chief executive Anne Lauvergeon said after the signing.

"It is the largest international commercial contract ever won by the French nuclear industry.”

Among the other 21 agreements signed during the meeting between the French President and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, there was also a joint statement to fight climate change, several cooperation agreements on urban sustainable development, disease prevention, product safety and telecommunications.

"We are impressed by the fast and sustained growth of the Chinese aviation industry and are extremely proud to be able to contribute to its development with our state-of-the-art, efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft," Airbus COO Fabrice Bregier said on Monday.  
 
The business analysts of Airbus forecast that the total value of cooperation between Airbus and the Chinese aviation industry will reach about 200 million dollars per year in 2010 and 450 million dollars per year in 2015.