(BEIJING, June 26) -- Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) met with a delegation of Japanese parliamentarians who support the Beijing Olympic Games on Tuesday.
In his welcoming speech, Liu said China and Japan are two close neighbors separated by only a stretch of water: promoting good neighborly relations is in the interest of both peoples. "We are glad to know that over 200 Japanese parliamentarians have formed a pro-Olympics group on the occasion of the 500-day countdown to the Beijing Games. We are thankful for this gesture: it is a strong support for the Olympics and gives a powerful impetus to the healthy development of bilateral relations," said Liu Qi, who is also member of the Political bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and secretary of Beijing Municipal CPC Committee.
The preparatory work for the Olympic Games provides an excellent opportunity for intensifying bilateral exchanges, he added. Japan hosted the 1964 Olympic Summer Games and the 1972 and 1998 Olympic winter Games, so that it possesses a sterling experience. "We sincerely wish to enhance our dialogue and cooperation with the Japanese side in sports, the economy and culture," Liu said.
Head of the delegation Tadamoir Oshima said BOCOG had achieved remarkable progress in its preparatory work. The pro-Olympics parliamentarians' group will continue to pay attention to and support the Olympiad and contribute to the strengthening of bilateral ties.
BOCOG Executive Vice-President and Secretary-General Wang Wei attended the meeting.
