Red carpet rolled out for 80 foreign leaders
Beijing is rolling out the red carpet for more than 80 foreign leaders as they stream into the capital for the opening of the Olympic Games tonight, despite boycott calls from human rights groups.
The dignitaries will savour Chinese delicacies at a lunchtime state banquet hosted by President Hu Jintao at the Great Hall of the People today before the three-hour opening extravaganza, according to embassies in Beijing and the Foreign Ministry.
In the few intervening hours, Mr Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao will squeeze in talks with the leaders. The Foreign Ministry was unable to confirm yesterday which talks would be bilateral but a spokesman said some would be group meetings.
The Beijing Olympics have long been regarded as a source of national pride for China and Chinese leaders have been keen to see a record number of world leaders attend, ostensibly paying homage to China's achievements and rise on the supposedly auspicious date of August 8.
But the plan was set back when international calls for a boycott followed deadly riots in Tibet in March and several heads of state would neither confirm nor deny their intentions to attend the opening ceremony. Xinhua said more than 50 heads of state, royal family members and foreign leaders touched down in Beijing yesterday.
Among them was US President George W. Bush, who delivered a speech in Thailand critical of China's human rights. Mr Bush will officiate at the opening of the new US embassy in Beijing this morning. He is also expected to visit a church on Sunday.
Others leaders to arrive yesterday included Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Israeli President Shimon Peres, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. While some are planning to stay in China for a few days, others will make briefer stops.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy will arrive without first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy this morning and leave after the opening ceremony, the French embassy said.
Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has a similarly tight schedule. He needs to return to Japan in time to attend tomorrow's anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
