China signed a contract to buy 100 A320 aircraft from European manufacturer Airbus, a spokesman for the firm told AFP, worth $9.7 billion at list prices.
The deal was signed as German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday met Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
The European Union is China's biggest trading partner and Merkel's trip comes as European leaders jockey for trade and investment deals with the world's second largest economy.