The Olympics will showcase China's peace-loving image and its determination to embrace peace, President Hu Jintao told foreign journalists in Beijing on Friday.

Hu made the comments during a group interview with journalists from 25 international media organizations. He said the Games were "a grand activity of peace and friendship" in response to a question from an Aljazeera reporter.

The president was asked whether China worries that a successful Beijing Olympics, which could enhance China's national strength, would intensify the so-called "China Threat" theory. His response was that China is still the biggest developing country in the world despite its remarkable progress in modernization over the past 30 years.

The problems China faces in its development process are unusual, he said.

"We will build a comprehensive welfare society benefiting a billion of our population, so as to realize national modernization and the common good of all Chinese people. China still has a long way to go," Hu said.

China has explicitly announced that it observes a defensive military policy and will never seek hegemony or military expansion. China will unswervingly adin Beijing to the road of peaceful development and the opening-up strategy aimed for mutual benefits, Hu said.

The president said Chinese people wish to join hands with people across the globe to build a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity.

President warns against politicizing Olympics

Chinese President Hu Jintao warned that policitizing the Olympics runs counter to the Olympic spirit and will not work.

"Politicizing the Olympics runs against the Olympic spirit and the shared aspirations of people all over the world," Hu said.

The interview came a week ahead of the start of the Beijing Olympic Games.

"It is inevitable that people hold divergent views on issues, but politicizing the Olympics will not address those issues," Hu said. "Instead, those issues can be resolved on the basis of mutual respect, by narrowing the differences and expanding common ground."

Hu said the Games not only offers an arena for athletes from around the world to realize glory and dreams, but also provides a platform for people to enhance understanding and deepen friendship.

"Hosting the Olympics is a century-old aspiration of the Chinese people," Hu said, citing the fact that as early as 1908 some Chinese came up with the idea to stage the Games.

"As Beijing finally became the host of the Olympics after 100 years of longing, all Chinese people cherish this golden opportunity," Hu said.

"The Chinese share one wishn -- making the Beijing Olympics a great success, enabling people to enjoy themselves at the Games and carrying forward the Olympic spirit," Hu said.

Hu welcomes the legacy China and world will gain from the Games

Hu Jintao said the Beijing Olympic Games will leave important spiritual legacies for the world, which will be more sustainable and valuable than the material legacies of the Beijing games.

Hu identified three spiritual legacies. The first is the promotion of the Olympic spirit of unity, friendship and peace. The second is the realisation of the concept of a Green Olympics, a Hi-tech Olympics and a People's Olympics. The third is the advancement of reciprocal exchanges and learning among cultures of all the countries in the world.

In response to a question, Hu said hosting the Olympics will gift China several new sports venues and some improved infrastructure. He said China will treasure these material legacies and give a full play to their function and roles.

Hu said China will treasure even more highly the spiritual legacies of the Games and strive to carry them forward.

Hu said in the past seven years, the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (BOCOG) has done a great deal of work and achieved outstanding results in all aspects, including venue and infrastructure construction, environment protection, city operation, security and media service. He said the BOCOG has concentrated on the goal of hosting a high-standard Olympic Games with distinctive characteristics by fully implementing the concept of the Green Olympics, the Hi-tech Olympic and the People's Olympics.

These achievements have provided favorable conditions not only for the smooth holding of the Beijing Olympic Games, but also for the future development of China and the Chinese people's effort to create a better life.

Hu emphasized that since Beijing succeeded in its bid to host the Olympic Games on July 13, 2001, the Chinese government and people have earnestly lived up to the commitment to the international community by carrying out close cooperation with the International Olympic Committee(IOC) and the international Olympic family. Hu said China has earnestly carried out all sorts of preparations and laid a solid foundation for hosting an Olympic Games with distinctive characteristics and high standards.

Noting that the 29th summer Olympic Games will open in Beijing in seven days, Hu said people from all countries in the world are earnestly looking forward to this moment. He said staging the Olympic Games in a country with one-fifth of the global population can be seen as both the confidence that the world has in China and the contribution that China makes to the world.

The Beijing Olympic Games belongs to the Chinese people and to the people of all countries in the world, Hu said.

Hu expressed his welcome on behalf of the Chinese government and people to friends from all over the world to come to participate in and witness the Beijing Olympic Games, and to friends from the media of all over the world to come to cover the Games.

President vows to ease reporting after Olympics

President Hu Jintao pledged that China will continue to facilitate foreign reporters' work after the Games.

"China has always opened its door to the outside world," Hu said in response to a question regarding China's post-Olympics policy towards foreign journalists.

"Whether before the Beijing Olympics or after the Games, we will, as always, welcome foreign journalists and facilitate their reporting," Hu said.

Hu said he hoped foreign journalists would abide by Chinese laws and report China as it is, to enhance communication and understanding between China and the world.

(Xinhua News Agency August 1, 2008)