China and the United States reached agreements on export deals worth US$45 billion, a US official said at the start of President Hu Jintao's state visit.

They included China's final approval of a US$19 billion contract to buy 200 Boeing aircraft, which US officials estimated would support 100,000 American jobs.

Other deals involved Honeywell, Caterpillar and Westinghouse Electric.

Chinese officials told the Obama administration that Chinese companies had signed 70 contracts worth US$25 billion in US exports from 12 states.

Altogether, the deals will support an estimated 235,000 American jobs.

The US official said there was also progress on several key trade areas.

The Boeing deal would be larger than a US$15.6 billion deal for Airbus to sell 180 planes to Indian carrier IndiGo which was touted as the biggest jet order in history.