Reporter's log: Xi's long day in Paris

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.

When President Xi Jinping arrived at Orly International Airport in the French capital on Sunday afternoon after 11 hours of flight, he would later meet the head of the climate conference's host nation in the evening.

It would be in the very early hours on Monday in Beijing that Hollande, after a final day of preparation for the summit, was scheduled to have dinner with Xi.

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.