For Airbus SAS, the world's largest commercial aircraft maker, and nuclear reactor company Areva SA, Chinese President Hu Jintao's three-day trip to France which started yesterday may mean one thing: orders.
Hu has a record of bringing business to the countries he visits. He went to Australia in October with a US$21 billion contract to buy natural gas. His May visit to Russia produced a statement asking companies there to help build a gas pipeline between China's eastern and western provinces.
Alsthom SA, PSA Peugeot Citroen and Suez SA are among French companies banking on more business from China.
Among business leaders who will meet with Hu in Paris are Areva chief executive Anne Lauvergeon, Renault SA chief executive Louis Schweitzer, Henri Proglio who heads Veolia Environnement SA and Peugeot chief executive Jean-Martin Folz.
Airbus signed letters of understanding in April to sell 30 jetliners to five Chinese airlines in a deal worth US$1.89 billion when French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin visited the country. Most of those pacts have yet to be turned into official contracts. The sale involved four A330s, 16 A319s and 10 A320s.
Peugeot, Europe's No. 2 carmaker, sold 104,000 vehicles in China last year through a joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Corp and said this month it will invest 600 million euros (US$765 million) to increase Chinese production capacity to 300,000 vehicles.
Alstom, which has built power stations that generate a fifth of the world's electricity and has made two-thirds of the world's high-speed trains, is bidding for more contracts in China.
The company has helped build nuclear power stations in the country and is supplying turbine generators for the Three Gorges Dam. It has also supplied trains for the Shanghai subway.
State-owned Areva, whose Framatome ANP unit is the world's biggest maker of nuclear reactors, has designed six reactors for China and is seeking to increase orders there.
"We are eagerly looking forward to the call for tenders for the next four reactors," said Charles Hufnagel, an Areva spokesman.
Veolia Environnement, the world's biggest water company, has signed several contracts in China including a 50-year, 8.5 billion euro contract to distribute water in Shenzhen and a 20-year, 50 million-euro contract to operate a wastewater-treatment plant in Beijing.
Taiwan last night blanked world No. 1 Japan 4-0 to win the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 for the first time. Taiwanese ace Lin Yu-min (林昱珉) held defending champions Japan to just one hit and no runs in the first four innings, before catcher Lin Chia-cheng (林家正) opened the fifth inning with a solo home run. That was soon followed by a three-run homer from Taiwanese captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) to put Taiwan ahead in the prestigious tournament of the world’s top 12 baseball teams. In addition to a superb performance from 21-year-old Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Lin, three more Taiwanese pitchers
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Taiwan yesterday advanced to the gold medal match of the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 for the first time in history, despite last night losing 9-6 to Japan. Taiwan advanced after the US defeated Venezuela in the first game on the last day of the Super Round. However, the US had no chance of advancing to the championship game unless it defeated Venezuela by at least nine points. The US won 6-5. As a result, the two teams — who both had one win and two losses in the Super Round — are to face off again in the
Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) said she would tender her resignation following criticism of her handling of alleged bullying by Ministry of Labor Workforce Development Agency branch director Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容) resulting in the death of an employee. The ministry yesterday gave Hsieh two demerits and said she is subject to review by the Disciplinary Court. The severest possible punishment would be her removal from office and being barred from government jobs indefinitely. Workforce Development Agency Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) also received a major demerit and was transferred to another position. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) issued a formal apology
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