Airbus has won a £6 billion contract to supply 70 jets to China’s state-owned purchasing agency.

The deal, which was signed during a state visit to France by Chinese president Xi Jinping, had been on hold because of a disagreement between the EU and other countries over the carbon-emissions tax on flights. The order includes 27 long-haul A330s and 43 smaller A320 planes.

During the state visit, French president Francois Hollande told his Chinese counterpart that he wanted to “re-balance trade between our two countries”.

Last year, France had a trade deficit with China of about 26 billion euros (£22 billion) — about 40% of its total foreign trade deficit. Aerospace accounts for 29% of France’s exports to China. The two countries also signed 50 trade agreements in a number of other areas, including the nuclear, financial and automotive sectors.