France eyes ‘Dragon Ball’ theme park deal during Saudi crown prince visit

Paris – French authorities said they hoped an agreement on an amusement park, backed by a Saudi investment fund and inspired by the iconic Japanese manga series “Dragon Ball,” would be signed Monday.

The deal would be sealed as Saudi de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was in France for a two-day visit.

Valerie Pecresse, head of the Ile-de-France greater Paris region, said the regional government had been working on the project for 18 months.

“There is a very important meeting at the Elysee today that may result in the signing of this agreement,” Pecresse told broadcaster TF1. “We are waiting for the signature.”

“It is a project on the scale of Disneyland,” she added, without disclosing the cost.

The Saudi crown prince and French President Emmanuel Macron were to chair on Monday the first meeting of the Saudi-French strategic partnership council, and a number of agreements were expected to be signed.

According to a source familiar with the matter, a Saudi investment company is behind the “Dragon Ball” project, which could be located in Courdimanche northwest of Paris.

On Friday, the French presidency said that “discussions are still ongoing for some projects, but there will be many, many economic agreements across different sectors signed on Monday.”

On Sunday, Macron hosted the Saudi crown prince at the Esports World Cup, with Monday’s talks expected to focus on bilateral deals and events in the Middle East.