Olympic flame arrives in Beijing

The Olympic flame, lit in Ancient Olympia, Greece last week, arrived in Beijing on Monday morning. An official welcoming ceremony attended by China's top leaders was held in Tian'anmen Square to mark the historical event.

The torch will start its 137,000-kilometer journey officially tomorrow when it departs from Beijing for Almaty, Kazakhstan. From there it will travel to 20 countries and regions around the world before arriving back in Beijing on August 6, two days before the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games.

The Beijing Games relay, which will last 130 days and pass through world's highest peak on Mount Qomolangma (Mount Everest), is the longest and most ambitious one ever planned, CRI writes.

At the welcoming festivities in Tian'anmen Square, Chinese President Hu Jintao lit a cauldron with the flame, before handing the torch to World and Olympic champion hurdler Liu Xiang, who officially opened the relay before a cheering crowd.

A second flame was lit also at the ceremony to be taken to the top of Mount Qomolangma in Tibet.

"The century-old dream of the Chinese people to host the Olympic Games has been turned into a reality," CRI quotes Vice-President Xi Jinping as declaring at the ceremony. Staging a memorable Olympic Games will call for nationwide joint efforts and promote national development and people's well-being, he continued.

Security at the ceremony was tight, with a heavy police presence and streets around Tian'anmen Square being closed off to the public.

Olympic inspector Hein Verbruggen said the Games present an opportunity for "the people of China and the world to learn, discover and respect each other," marking a contrast with the concern expressed by the international community over the riots in Tibet.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said on Thursday that China strongly opposes any protests surrounding the torch relay, CRI writes. Local leaders in Tibet have also been ordered to enhance vigilance and ensure stability for the Mount Qomolangma part of the relay, CRI writes citing a report from Tibet Daily.

The welcoming ceremony was attended by about 5,000 guests and covered by about 200 foreign journalists.