Airbus in talks on China jet order ahead of Xi visit, sources say

Airbus is in talks with China over a potentially major aircraft order ahead of a visit to France by Chinese President Xi Jinping, two people familiar with the matter said. The Chinese leader is due to make his first Europe trip in five years next month and diplomatic sources have said trade will be high on the agenda, amid mounting EU-China tensions. China has historically signalled large jet orders timed to coincide with state visits, but the negotiations between Airbus China's CASC buying agency are expected to go down to the wire and are not guaranteed to result in a deal, the people said. One of the people said a package could involve hundreds of jets, but the other cautioned talks are at a preliminary stage.<br/>Airbus declined comment and CASC could not immediately be reached for comment. In April last year, Airbus agreed to build a second Chinese assembly line or its A320neo narrow-body family during a state visit to China by French President Emmanuel Macron in a move to strengthen access to the world's second-largest aviation market.<br/>