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Hu to sign big-bucks deals in France

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is treating Chinese President Hu Jintao to a red carpet welcome in Paris, before the two of them set off for a mini-break on the French Riviera. Talks between the two leaders are set to yield billions of euros worth of trade agreements.

China's President Hu Jintao holds talks during a meeting with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing
China's President Hu Jintao holds talks during a meeting with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Reuters
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Hu's visit to France comes at a time when Europe has joined the United States in calling for China to push up the value of its currency, straining relations between Brussels and Beijing.

Hu and his wife are expected to be met by Sarkozy at Paris’s Orly airport early afternoon.

Late afternoon, they will hold their first round of bilateral talks and then sign “lots of contracts, large and small” before a full state dinner, a French official said.

The deals are expected to include a purchase by China of Airbus aircraft, nuclear energy deals for the French company Areva, a deal with energy giant Total and a contract between French insurance firm Axa and the Bank of China.

This visit marks a warming of relations between China and France, which deteriorated greatly in 2008 when Sarkozy met exiled Tibetan leader Dalai Lama.

Activists complain that Sarkozy is keeping human rights off the agenda. Many also point out that France scarcely reacted when Chinese dissendent Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

China hopes that the visit and the slew of contracts should ease relations ahead of a G20 meeting in South Korea next week which is set to focus on currency imbalances.

Hu and Sarkozy have not scheduled a joint press conference together.

On Friday, Hu is to meet business leaders for more contracts in Paris, before flying to the south of France. After a short stay on the French Riviera, Hu is to travel to Portugal.

Follow the visit live on France 24.

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