Airbus A330 Completion and Delivery Center to be built in China's Tianjin city

TOULOUSE, France, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Airbus and its Chinese partners on Thursday signed a framework agreement on setting up an A330 Completion and Delivery Center in Tianjin, northern China, which will be the company's first wide-body aircraft cooperation project outside Europe.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who accompanied Li's visit to an Airbus facility here.

The agreement is taking the partnership between Airbus and China a "further step forward" following the establishment of an A320 Family Final Assembly Line and Delivery Center in the Chinese city, Airbus said in a press release on its website.

The agreement was signed by leaders from Airbus, Tianjin Free Trade Zone Investment Company Ltd. and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

The two leaders inspected a helicopter jointly developed and produced by China and France, half the units of which were produced by Chinese companies.

Calling bilateral cooperation in aviation and space a good example of China-France and China-EU practical cooperation, Li said such cooperation is not a simple buyer-seller relationship, but rather a strategic integration of complementary advantages.

During Li's visit, China and France also announced a decision to jointly explore third-party markets for win-win results.

Li's four-day official visit to France ended on Thursday, during which he also visited the headquarters of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris.

Prior to his visit to France, Li was in Brussels for the 17th China-EU leaders' meeting.

 李克强考察中法航空合作项目时强调　　让中法合作飞得更快更高更远

新华网法国图卢兹7月2日电（记者陈二厚　应强）当地时间7月2日下午，正在法国图卢兹访问的国务院总理李克强在法国总理瓦尔斯陪同下，来到空中客车公司总部考察中法合作生产项目。

两国总理一同登上中法共同研发、生产的直升机。李克强详细询问该机型技术特点和性能状况。项目负责人作了介绍，强调飞机的一半部件由中国企业生产。两国总理在驾驶舱亲切交流，规划中法航空合作的壮丽远景。

随后，两国总理见证了空客天津A－330型飞机完成交付中心等合作协议的签署。这将是空客在欧洲以外首个宽体飞机合作项目。李克强指出，中法双方要继续秉持互利共赢、开放创新的精神，发挥天津交付中心的区位优势，将天津打造成空客亚洲中心。

李克强表示，航空航天合作已成为中法、中欧务实合作的典范。双方合作不是简单的买卖关系，而是优势互补的战略对接。随着“中国制造2025”的实施，中国中高端制造能力将日益提升，双方互利合作的空间会更加广阔。此访期间，中法发表了联合开发第三方市场合作的声明，鼓励和支持两国企业利用各自在生产、技术、资金等方面优势，加强三方合作，实现互利多赢，让中法合作飞得更快更高更远。

两国总理还同参加第六届中法航空产业发展峰会的代表合影，并同空客图卢兹基地的中国员工亲切交谈。