China signed a cooperation deal with the European helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter for the development of a new civil aircraft.
The deal was signed in Paris during a visit to France by Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.
The new 16-seater helicopter named the EC175 will go into development in 2006 and production is due to start in 2011, Eurocopter — a subsidiary of the European consortium EADS — said in a statement.
Eurocopter and the Chinese company ACIC II will each invest 300 million euros (352 million dollars) to develop the new helicopter, the statement said.
“Production will be shared on a 50/50 basis and each country will have its own assembly line. Sales forecasts for this latest-generation helicopter call for 800 to be sold worldwide over the next 20 years,” it said.
