BEIJING, April 21 -- China signed contracts on Thursday to buy five Airbus A380 super-jumbo jets and other French goods in deals worth more than $4 billion as French Premier Jean-Pierre Raffarin began a visit to China.

Agreements signed by Chinese and French officials also called for China to buy French nuclear power and railway equipment. Raffarin and his Chinese counterpart, Wen Jiabao, attended the signing ceremony.

Raffarin was in China to promote commercial ties and affirm French support for ending a European arms embargo imposed on China in 1989.

"I thank Premier Raffarin for again expressing his support for ending the embargo," Wen said at a joint news conference. He called the arms ban "political discrimination, which we oppose."

The A380s were bought by China Southern Airlines, the country's biggest carrier, which signed a purchase contract in January, said airline spokesman Tang Yong.

Raffarin praised China as a trading partner, downplaying concerns about the impact of its economic boom on world oil prices and complaints about its tightly controlled currency.

"Whether talking about energy needs, raw material needs, official trade exchanges ... or currency policy, we feel China is acting responsibly in the world economy," the French premier said at a joint news conference with Wen.

Wen said he and Raffarin had wide-ranging discussions that touched on such controversial issues as China's use of the death penalty and labor camps. He didn't give any other details of their talks.

Other Chinese carriers also bought 18 Airbus A320s and seven A319s in contracts worth a total of $1.75 billion, according to the French delegation.

Accompanied by 30 French business leaders, Raffarin planned to visit Shanghai, the country's business capital, to show support for smaller French companies in China.

France's lobbying for the lifting of the European arms embargo on China has drawn U.S. criticism.

Raffarin's visit follows a trip to China in October by President Jacques Chirac.

The visit also comes amid tensions between China and Japan over Tokyo's bid for a permanent U.N. Security Council seat — a status that both Beijing and Paris already hold. France says it supports the planned changes and giving Tokyo a council seat.

(Source: China Daily/Agencies)