France's Chirac backs Areva, Alstom in China

WUHAN, China, Oct 27 (Reuters) - French President Jacques Chirac said today he had lobbied Chinese leaders on behalf of French state-controlled Areva, which is competing with Toshiba's Westinghouse in a politically charged contest to build new-generation nuclear power plants for China.

Chirac, winding up the formal part of a state visit to China, also said he had argued for proposals by Alstom, the builder of French high-speed trains, to build a fast link between the central city of Wuhan and Guangzhou in the south.

''These are undoubtedly economic dossiers but also ones which have a strategic value, especially the first one (Areva),'' Chirac told reporters, asked about progress on both deals.

Chirac said the choice for China was between proven French EPR technology built by Areva and what he described as an alternative existing only ''on paper''. He was referring to a rival bid by Westinghouse, recently bought by Japan's Toshiba.

REUTERS PDM RN1819