Britain and China on Monday signed trade deals worth an estimated 2.6 million pounds (4 million dollars), ranging from the supply of green technology to the delivery of luxury cars, according to dpa. The agreements were sealed on the second day of an official visit to Britain by Chinese Vice Premier Li Kequiang. Britain, where Li held talks with Prime Minister David Cameron and other leaders Monday, is the third stop for Li on his current European tour, which also took him to Germany and Spain. Ahead of the political talks, the two governments signed a deal on the transfer of two giant pandas from China to Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland, in what both sides hailed as a sign of the growing friendship between the two countries. Among the trade deals is a commitment by Jaguar Land Rover, the luxury carmaker owned by India's Tata Group, to sell 40,000 Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles in China in 2011. The commitment to sales with a value in excess of 1 billion pounds reflected the growing importance of the Chinese market to Jaguar Land Rover, said Ralf Speth, chief executive of the car company. Other deals included an agreement between BP and the China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) on deep-water exploration in the South China Sea, and trading partnership agreements between privately-owned chemical firm Ineos with PetroChina and the China National Petroleum Corporation on refining operations and technology. On his arrival for a four-day visit Sunday, Li signed an agreement on the supply of renewable energy conversion technology in Edinburgh, worth around 4.6 million pounds.
