German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder Monday repeated his call to end the European Union's ban on arms sales to China.
As Mr. Schroeder visited Beijing, Chinese officials signed agreements to buy $1.3 billion worth of Airbus jetliners and hundreds of millions of dollars worth of other German-made goods, including locomotives.
Mr. Schroeder met Monday with Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.
The German chancellor opposes the European Union's ban on weapons sales to China, imposed after the bloody 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing. His stand has been criticized by opponents in Germany, and the European Parliament renewed the sanctions last month.
Mr. Schroeder travels to Tokyo Wednesday for talks with top Japanese officials.
Some information for this report provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
