BEIJING/PARIS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Airbus said

on Wednesday it had opened a second assembly line in China,

increasing manufacturing capacity for its best-selling A320neo

family of single-aisle jets.

The European planemaker's 10th final assembly line globally,

located in the port city of Tianjin near Beijing, is set to be

fully operational in early 2026.

Its inauguration comes just over a week after Airbus opened

a second final assembly line in Mobile, Alabama.

Ahead of the Tianjin opening, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury met

with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on Tuesday, the

ministry said in a statement.

During the meeting, Wang stressed that rising economic

fragmentation and unilateral, protectionist moves were

unsettling global trade and adding instability and uncertainty,

the ministry said on Wednesday.

Airbus committed to expanding its presence in China and

contributing to China-France and China-Europe trade ties, the

ministry added.

Airbus did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Industry sources said this month that the back-to-back

ceremonies in Mobile and Tianjin were being designed to avoid

falling foul of a tricky trade climate between China and the

United States.

Since Airbus first announced the overseas expansion plans in

2022 and 2023, Washington and Beijing have plunged into a

months-long trade war, leaving Airbus and some other European

companies anxious to avoid offending either trade power.