Hexcel in talks to supply materials for China jet

SHANGHAI, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Hexcel (HXL.N) is in early talks on supplying composite materials for China's project to develop and manufacture large commercial jets, a senior executive of the company said on Thursday.

China has launched a project to develop and build large commercial jets, aiming to reduce its reliance on Boeing (BA.N) and Airbus (EAD.DE).

Thierry Merlot, a vice president for sales and marketing with the Hexcel group, said the company had supplied a small quantity of composite materials to China's domestically developed ARJ21 regional jet and may supply materials for an extended version of the regional jet. (Reporting by Fang Yan; Writing by Edmund Klamann; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree)