BEIJING: President Xi Jinping will speak at a key climate change conference in Paris later this month, before making state visits to South Africa and Zimbabwe, officials announced Wednesday.

Xi will also meet on the sidelines of the conference with the presidents of France and the United States, Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said.

Xi will discuss climate change and bilateral relations with Francois Hollande and Barack Obama on Nov. 30, he said.

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The Paris conference is aimed at crafting a new international agreement to reduce greenhouse gases.

China, the world's biggest emitter, has emerged as a leader in curbing such emissions six years after it was accused of obstructing the last high-level climate talks in Copenhagen.

Observers hope China will persuade other developing nations to sign up to a deal. From Dec. 1-2, Xi will visit Zimbabwe for the first time and meet with President Robert Mugabe.

The visit will include cooperation agreements on infrastructure, investment, wildlife protection, financing and culture, said Zhang Ming, another vice foreign minister.

Xi will travel to South Africa from Dec. 2-5 to serve as co-chairman of the Forum on China-African Cooperation and for his second state visit to that country, including a meeting with President Jacob Zuma.

The China-African forum started as a ministerial-level dialogue 15 years ago. So far, 36 heads of state and five heads of government have confirmed they will attend to discuss “faster and better development,” Zhang said.

Zhang said the forum will also discuss continued security cooperation between China and Africa.

Three Chinese civilians were among 19 people killed in an assault on a luxury hotel in Mali's capital last week claimed by an Islamic extremist group.

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