Macron thanks Xi for backing Olympic truce idea
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday thanked President Xi Jinping for backing his idea of a truce in all conflicts including Ukraine during the Paris Olympics this summer. "I thank you for showing your desire during our talks to ask all parties to have an Olympic truce," Macron said at a joint press conference, adding that such a truce for "all theatres" of war could help achieve lasting peace in the conflicts.  On Ukraine, President Xi said China supports the convening of an international peace conference on the crisis at an appropriate time. He said the conference should be recognized by both Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation of all parties and fair discussion of all peace plans. President Xi Jinping also said he would welcome President Macron to visit China again.  President Xi arrived in Paris on Sunday for a two-day visit.  At a meeting with Macron and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, Xinhua news agency reported that Xi said the two countries should always define China-Europe relations as a comprehensive strategic partnership, and remove various distractions. Macron is set take Xi to the Pyrenees on Tuesday, a mountainous region dear to the French president as the birthplace of his maternal grandmother.  Xi will then leave France for Serbia before completing his European tour in Hungary. (Xinhua and AFP)