Presidents Xi, Hollande meet for working dinner ahead of climate talks

World Today

France China Climate CountdownFrance’s President Francois Hollande, center right, meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping prior to a working dinner at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015. (Philippe Wojazer/Pool Photo via AP)

On the eve of the global climate summit that opens in Paris on Monday, President Xi Jinping had an extremely long working day, while with his French counterpart, Francois Hollande, he had a very late working dinner.


“Thank you for the invitation,” Xi said to Hollande. “I’m glad to be in Paris.”

Hollande welcomed Xi for the bilateral talks where they were also joined by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.

The schedules of the presidents epitomized how heads of governments were striving “to lend political impetus” to the Paris meeting, which is tasked with reaching a historic pact to tame global warming.

In all, about 150 heads of state and government are expected to attend opening ceremonies on Monday, kicking off two-weeks of intense negotiations to secure what the French leader has described as “a binding agreement, a universal agreement, one that is ambitious”.

The Chinese and French presidents had met less than a month ago in Beijing. Hollande visited China on Nov 2 to seek support for a climate-change deal in Paris. At that meeting, Xi told his guest that China was committed to ensuring the success of the climate conference.

“The agreement must send out a clear signal for the world to transition to green, low-carbon, climate-resilient and sustainable development,” the two said in a joint statement issued after their meeting.

On Monday, Xi will deliver details on what China has committed itself to do to counter global climate change. Paris is hosting world leaders for the COP21 summit, where they will be trying to reach a consensus on an international climate change agreement.

Reporting by China Daily and the Associated Press