PARIS, May 12 (Reuters) - Leading healthcare companies

Pfizer ( PFE ) and AstraZeneca ( AZN ) announced on Sunday new

investments in France worth a total of nearly $1 billion, ahead

of the start of this year's annual 'Choose France' business

summit.

Pfizer ( PFE ) said it would invest 500 million euros ($538.5

million) in France to build up its research and development work

in the country, while AstraZeneca ( AZN ) announced an investment of

$388 million for its site at Dunkirk.

Their investment pledges came as President Emmanuel Macron

prepared to kick off on Monday the annual 'Choose France' event

aimed at wooing big overseas businesses and investors.

France announced earlier on Sunday 100 new jobs in Paris at

Wall Street bank Morgan Stanley ( MS ), and investments from

other firms such as German aviation company Lilium.

Macron wants to burnish Paris' role as a top European

business capital, although it has traditionally lagged New York

and London on a global scale.

The closely watched Z/Yen survey of global financial

centres, published in March, ranked New York as the world's top

financial centre, with London in second place. The survey ranked

Paris in 14th position.

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