PRESIDENT Francois Hollande has said that he hopes to use a visit to China starting today boost prospects for the UN’s Paris Climate Change Conference this month.

China has promised to try to cap its rising emissions before 2030 as part of its national pledge on global warming for the conference.

Mr Hollande said that he intends to launch a bilateral appeal with Chinese President Xi Jinping “to make the climate conference a success.”

Paris is notably trying to get China’s approval for a mechanism requiring countries to step up their emissions cuts over time.

This, said a French diplomat, would be a key to success because the current national pledges will not be enough to achieve the goal of keeping the rise in global temperatures below 2°C between pre-industrial times and the end of this century.

He added that China had “a leading role” in influencing other developing countries on this issue.