Chirac's China tour begins at Chengdu (Xinhua)

French President Jacques Chirac is to meet his Chinese counterpart on the second day of a visit designed to boost the two countries' economic links.

Mr Chirac will meet President Hu Jintao in Beijing hours after delivering a speech in the city of Chengdu.

France is keen to improve its trade links with China, and a high-profile team of ministers and industrialists is with Mr Chirac on his state visit.

On Friday Mr Chirac called for an end to an EU embargo on selling China arms.

Mr Chirac will speak about economic partnership in Chengdu on Saturday morning before heading to Beijing to meet China's president.

The French president is being accompanied on his trip by senior government figures including Foreign Minister Michel Barnier, Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres and External Commerce Minister Francois Loos.

There are both cultural and political aspects to Mr Chirac's visit.

The public highlight of the four-day visit will come on Sunday when French musician Jean Michel Jarre will perform a concert in Beijing's Forbidden City to mark the official start of "The year of France" in China.

And Mr Chirac is expected to reaffirm France's position that Taiwan is part of "one China".

But the bulk of the president's visit is designed to boost trade and economic links with China.

French companies are competing to build a high-speed train link and nuclear reactors, as well to sell aircraft to China.

France is keen to expand its business presence in China, where it lags far behind some of its European allies.

Bilateral trade stood at $13bn last year, yet French companies only have one percent of the Chinese market.

(Agencies)

embargo: a government order imposing a trade barrier（禁運）

bulk: the property of something that is great in magnitude（大半，大部分）