Pact to lift French beef ban reached

CHINA signed a deal yesterday to lift a ban on French beef and said discussions to buy Airbus planes remained open as French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe ended a four-day visit.

The beef ban was imposed over a decade ago as China started closing off its markets to all European imports in the wake of the mad cow disease. Philippe and Premier Li Keqiang oversaw the signing of an agreement to lift the embargo, which French producers say will put their beef back on Chinese plates by September.

“We are already in contact with Chinese buyers,” said the president of French beef industry group Interbev, Dominique Langlois, who said the aim was to export 30,000 tons per year.

The accord was the culmination of an agreement reached when French President Emmanuel Macron met Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this year.

China had also committed to buying 184 single-aisle A320 Airbus planes during Macron’s January visit, but the deal has not been finalized.

“We are ready to continue discussions on the purchase of Airbus planes in a timely manner,” Li said.

Eighteen agreements in science, medicine, tourism and energy fields were signed. French nuclear group Orano and China National Nuclear Corp announced an agreement for preparatory work on a used fuel processing and recycling plant in China. The nuclear deal, valued at more than 20 billion euros (US$23.4 billion), has been in the works for a decade and could now be concluded this year.