FRENCH DENY ANY PLANS TO SELL FIGHTER AIRCRAFT TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 002603

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/15/2015
TAGS: PREL PARM ETTC CH FR EUN
SUBJECT: FRENCH DENY ANY PLANS TO SELL FIGHTER AIRCRAFT TO
CHINA

REF: 4/12 FBIS REPORTS FROM TAIWAN NEWS AND HONG KONG

HSIANG KANG SHANG PAO

Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, Reason 1
.4 B/D


1. (U) Reftel FBIS reports quoted Taiwan and Hong Kong press
reports that France intends to sell 210 Mirage 200-9CS
fighter aircraft, along with 1,200 MICA missiles and 180
alternative engines, as part of a 12 billion euros defense
trade package. The sale allegedly was agreed to last
December 2004. The same report quotes unnamed French
military sources as saying that 40 Chinese pilots are
scheduled to receive training in France, as of June 2005.
Additionally, the French defense firm Dassault, which
manufactures the Mirage planes, is to sell 20 Atlantic ALF-3
maritime patrol aircraft, according to the FBIS reports.


2. (C) We contacted MFA and MOD officials who emphatically
assured us that there was no truth to the press stories.
Marc Abensour, MFA DAS-level director for Asia, including
China, expressed surprise that we would even seek to verify
such "unfounded rumors." Abensour and Arnaud Barthelemy,
special assistant to Political Director Stanislas de
Laboulaye, reminded us that the EU Council last December had
agreed that the EU would not take any action to change
China's qualitative or quantitative capacities. On April 14,
Camille Grand, technical advisor to the Minister of Defense,
also denied the allegations, adding that he had spoken to
Dassault Aviation, which said that it did not have contacts
with the Chinese on this issue.


3. (U) Interestingly, on April 13, EADS co-chairman Hertrich
was quoted in the French daily Le Figaro and in AFP as saying
that the company would not sell arms to China, even if the EU
were to lift its embargo on China, as EADS does not wish to
jeopardize its commercial interests with the United States.
LEACH