BEIJING - French President Emmanuel Macron said France has always supported and will continue to fully support the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

Macron made the remarks in a phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday afternoon, during which he conveyed new spring greetings to Xi and the Chinese people for the Year of the Tiger.

He also extended congratulations on the splendid and successful opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, noting that it is a quite demanding task for China to host the event as scheduled under the current circumstances.

Xi pointed out that the fact that the Beijing Winter Olympics has unfolded smoothly as scheduled demonstrates that the international community yearns for peace, unity and progress.

He also extended new spring greetings to Macron and the French people, and offered congratulations on the achievements of French athletes.