China, France Acknowledge Need for a Global Climate Change Pact

According to a joint declaration issued by China and France, the two nations have agreed that a global climate change pact must require countries to raise their emission cuts every five years.

The statement comes after President Xi Jinping also expressed support to France's hosting of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, beginning late this month in Paris.

Xi remarked during a news conference in Beijing, in the presence of visiting French President Francois Hollande: "We would like to make joint efforts with France to make the climate change summit successful."

The joint declaration also stated that both China and France will release their respective national strategies about developing low-carbon economies by 2050.

"The Paris accord must send a clear signal for the world to engage in a transition toward green, low-carbon development that is sustainable and resilient in the face of climate change," the statement said.

Moreover, the meeting between the two leaders resulted in the signing of 17 cooperation documents in various fields including electricity, aerospace and energy, among others.

In order to strengthen the Sino-French ties, Xi noted that the Chinese government is intensifying its efforts to encourage domestic firms to invest in France. He added that French companies are also welcome to take part in the Belt and Road Initiative.

"Your last visit to China and my visit to France last year both occurred in the spring, and there is a Chinese saying that if you plant a seed in spring, you will harvest tens of thousands of grains in the autumn," Xi told the French leader.

For Hollande's part, he said that the joint declaration was a "major step" toward inking an agreement. He added that his Beijing trip is "historic."

"With this declaration, we have set up conditions that open the way to success, and I am of a mind to believe that an agreement is now possible," Hollande said.