President Hu Jintao said he was confident of a "special and
high-level" Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008.
"We believe, through efforts, we can host a special and
high-level Olympic Games," said Hu in a joint interview with
Russian media on Tuesday.
Xinhua was authorized to release the content of the interview on
Sunday. At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin,
President Hu will pay a state visit to Russia from March 26 to
28.
"To host Olympics has been the expectation of the Chinese nation
in the past century and the common aspiration of the Chinese
people. The Chinese government pays great attention to the Beijing
Olympics," Hu said.
Hu told the Russian media that preparations for the event were
proceeding well as scheduled, including construction of sports
venues and facilities, organization of sports events, cultural
publicity, media service and security.
(Xinhua News Agency March 26, 2007)
