Xi to attend Paris climate conference, pay state visits to Zimbabwe, South Africa, attend FOCAC in Johannesburg

BEIJING - President Xi Jinping will attend an opening ceremony of a climate conference in Paris from Nov 29 to 30 at the invitation of French President Francois Hollande and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who will preside over the conference, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Wednesday morning.

President Xi will meet US President Barack Obama on the first day of the Paris climate talks on Nov 30 at the start of the two-week climate conference, said White House officials on Tuesday, consulting on key negotiations issues on global climate change.

Xi will pay a state visit to Zimbabwe from Dec 1 to 2 at the invitation of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, according to the spokesperson Lu Kang.

At the invitation of South African President Jacob Zuma, Xi will pay a state visit to South Africa from Dec 2 to 5, and he will also chair the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Johannesburg, Lu said.