(File photo: People's Daily online)

BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron exchanged greetings in a phone conversation on Wednesday ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Macron wished Xi and the Chinese people a happy Spring Festival, and Xi expressed the same wishes to Macron and the French people upon the traditional Chinese new year.

Xi called for joint efforts with his French counterpart in maintaining the high-level development of China-France ties and the leading role of high-level exchanges.