Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in Slovakia yesterday to begin a two-day official visit, the second leg of his five-nation tour.

Wen will hold talks with top Slovak leaders including the president, the prime minister and the parliament speaker.

Wen flew in from France following a four-day official visit to France, where he met with top leaders and oversaw an agreement for China to buy US$10 billion worth of planes from Airbus.

Before his departure from Nice, Wen paid a visit to the Alcatel Alenia Space company, where he was briefed on research and production of satellites by company officials.

The premier also visited two high-tech enterprises — the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor situated in Cadarache, and the Eurocopter Group, located just outside France's second largest city, Marseille.

During the visit, Wen encouraged the Eurocopter Group to increase cooperation with China's aviation industry.

Wen arrived in Marseille on Tuesday afternoon from Paris, where he held talks with Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, President Jacques Chirac and President of the French National Assembly Jean-louis Debre. Wen also made a speech to some 800 students and teachers at Ecole Polytechnique.

Wen visited aircraft manufacturer Airbus on Sunday, and on Monday oversaw a deal that includes the "possibility' of building an assembly plant for mid-range Airbus planes on the mainland.