The French president also hinted at a possible opportunity to work towards a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. "Perhaps this could be an opportunity to work towards a sustainable solution [to the conflicts] in full respect of international law," he said.

Xi and Macron also discussed China's continued support for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, amid repeated calls from France for the Asian powerhouse to use its influence to stop Russia's actions against Ukraine.

The Olympic Truce is an ancient Greek tradition dating back to 776 BC. A "truce" (ancient Greek: ékécheiria, meaning "laying down of arms") was declared before and during the Olympic Games to ensure that the host city state would not be attacked and that athletes and spectators could travel safely to the Games and return peacefully to their respective countries. 

In 1992, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) renewed this tradition by calling on all nations to observe the Truce during the modern Games. The Truce was reaffirmed by United Nations Resolution 48/11 of 25 October 1993 and the UN Millennium Declaration on World Peace and Security.

Today, there are many military conflicts around the world, such as the war between Russia and Ukraine on Ukrainian territory since February 2022, the war between Israel and Palestine involving other countries such as Syria, Jordan or Iran, the continuous bombing between the US and the Huties, or the latent problems with North Korea, the relations between China and Taiwan, and so on.

The Chinese president is on a three-nation tour of Europe, starting in Paris for a day of talks, including a trilateral meeting with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. He will spend two days in France, including a visit to the Pyrenees, where Macron spent his childhood holidays with his grandmother. Hungary and Serbia, two countries that have shown their closeness to Moscow, are next on Xi's itinerary during his first visit to Europe in five years.