Arms, Taiwan top France-China meet
By Willy Wo-Lap Lam, CNN Senior China Analyst
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A red Eiffel Tower lights up the Parisian skyline.
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(CNN) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao is set to arrive in Paris to lobby for sales of weapons to China and French opposition to "referendum politics" in Taiwan.
In meetings with President Jacques Chirac and other leaders, Hu is also eager to cement a "special partnership relationship" with the one European Union country that enjoys the best relationship with Beijing.
January 26 marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of formal ties between the two countries, and Paris has been pulling out all stops to celebrate -- including lighting the famous Eiffel Tower red.
The date also coincides with a meeting of EU foreign ministers to discuss the sensitive issue of lifting the 15-year-old ban on the export of military high technology to China.
Diplomatic analysts in Beijing said while the EU would not make an announcement on the weapons issue soon, the Hu leadership was confident of a breakthrough this year.
The analysts said the People's Liberation Army was especially interested in buying French Mirage jets as well as French avionics and astronautical equipment.
Taiwan also tops the agenda of talks between Hu and Chirac, who has been a staunch advocate of the one-China policy.
With the presidential polls coming up to Taiwan in March, Hu wants a clear-cut statement from Paris opposing President Chen Shui-bian's attempt to organize a "defensive referendum" on the same day of the elections.
Given that President George W. Bush's recent statement of opposition to Taiwan independence had dealt a serious blow to U.S.-Taiwan relations, Beijing is hopeful strong words from the French president would further undermine Chen's re-election prospects.
During his four-day visit, Hu and his hosts will also discuss boosting trade as well as cooperation in building a "multi-polar world order," a code word for a global system without U.S. domination.
Hu is due to witness the signature of a couple of agreements on cooperation between Chinese and French companies in the areas of IT, consumer products and infrastructure.
Paris is expected to lobby vigorously for the export of high-speed train technology to China.
After France, Hu will underscore improving China-African relations by visiting Egypt, Gabon and Algeria.
The Chinese leadership is understood to be eager to secure the supply of petroleum and other strategic minerals from the underdeveloped continent.
