French President Sarkozy to attend Beijing Olympics opening ceremony

French President Nicolas Sarkozy will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games next month, his office said Wednesday.

Sarkozy told Chinese President Hu Jintao he would go to Beijing during a half-hour meeting on the sidelines of the Group of Eight industrialised nations summit in northern Japan.

"The president confirmed to the Chinese president that he intends to go to Beijing on August 8 to take part in the opening ceremony of the 29th Olympiad," a statement issued by Sarkozy's office said.

During his meeting with Hu, Sarkozy expressed France's desire to boost its strategic partnership with China "in all its dimensions" and reiterated French support for Beijing following a devastating earthquake in May.

(Agencies)