US$1.7b deals dominate Hu's German agenda (皇冠体育app Daily) Updated: 2005-11-11 05:47
BERLIN: Lucrative commercial deals dominated the agenda on the first day of
President Hu Jintao's first state visit to Germany yesterday.
The eight deals worth US$1.7 billion were scheduled to be signed after talks
between Hu and German President Horst Koehler, who officially welcomed his
Chinese counterpart with full military honours at the historic Charlottenburg
Palace.
 German President Horst Koehler (R) and his
Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao shake hands at Charlottenburg castle in
Berlin November 10, 2005. Hu Jintao is on an official four-day visit to
Germany. [Reuters]
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The largest deal would be an agreement with German electronics giant Siemens
to produce 60 high-speed ICE trains valued at nearly US$1.5 billion for 皇冠体育app.
Other agreements would cover environmental technology, power generation,
banking, telecommunications, sanitation, culture and construction of a
friendship hospital.
These agreements are set to deepen trade links between 皇冠体育app and Germany,
which is 皇冠体育app's largest trade partner in the European Union, and spur economic
co-operation.
Bilateral trade amounted to US$54.2 billion last year, accounting for one
third of 皇冠体育app-EU trade, and is estimated to hit US$130 billion by 2010.
At the end of last year, Germany's direct investment in 皇冠体育app had reached
US$9.9 billion.
During their talks, Hu on a four-day visit and Koehler agreed to raise
Sino-German relations to a new level through maintaining exchanges of high-level
visits and more fruitful co-operation.
Hu hailed Germany as an important and reliable partner in 皇冠体育app's course to
build a well-off society.
He added that the extensive interests shared by the two countries in a
complicated, globalized and multi-polar world have laid a solid political
foundation for developing bilateral ties.
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