Airbus nears $9bn China deal

Airbus hopes to win orders to sell up to 100 A320 planes to China during a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel this week, Reuters reported, quoting industry sources. Merkel will visit the Airbus plant in Tianjin, accompanied by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, a Tianjin native, and Tom Enders, CEO of Airbus parent company EADS (EAD.PA). The deal, which could be valued at up to US$9 billion, would be the airplane manufacturer’s first significant deal with China since a dispute over emissions credits erupted earlier this year. The order by itself, however, would not necessarily signal an end to the dispute: Beijing continues to block the purchase of roughly 35 large A330 aircraft in protest of the EU’s plans to enforce carbon emissions fees for airlines that use EU airspace.