Grand reception held in Canberra in welcoming Olympic flame's arrival

CANBERRA, April 23 (Xinhua) -- A grand reception was held here Wednesday night to welcoming the arrival of the sacred Olympic flame in the Australian capital Canberra.

The reception, hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Australia, attracted some 1,000 guests, among whom were government officials, diplomats, torchbearers and their families, as well as the Chinese delegation for the torch relay.

Also attended the reception were Jiang Xiaoyu, vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee of Olympic Games (BOCOG), Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister Jon Stanhope, federal government minister for youth and sports Kates Ellis and Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates.

In his address at the reception, Chinese ambassador Zhang Junsai said the Olympic Games is one of mankind's greatest inventions about communications and respect among people of different social and cultural backgrounds.

"It (the Olympic Games) is a bridge instead of a wall," Zhang said, adding he was happy that Canberra was chosen as the only Oceanian city for the Beijing Olympic torch relay.

"For me, the torch relay not only spreads Olympic spirit, but also serve as a platform to showcase Canberra and Australia, and to celebrate China-Australia relations and Beijing-Canberra sister city relations," Zhang told the crowds.

According to Zhang, China is currently Australia's top trading partner and a total of 90,000 Chinese students are now studying in the country.

Jiang Xiaoyu, the BOCOG vice president, said the first message the sacred flame brought to Australia was the message of the Olympics, of which the spirit of peace, friendship, unity, harmony and progress will make its way to every corner of the world by the torch relay.

Zhang said to host a successful Olympic Games, the Chinese people had undertaken utmost efforts and hard work during the past seven years.

"And we Chinese people are confident to host a high-level Olympics with its uniqueness," he said.

The Canberra leg of the torch relay will be started from the Reconciliation Place and concluded at the Commonwealth Park on Thursday. Eighty torchbearers like Australian swimming legend Ian Thorpe, Paralympians Amanda Fraser and country music star Lee Kernaghan will carry the torch along its 16 kilometers journey throughout Canberra, the only leg in Australia.

The Beijing 2008 Olympic torch relay will cover about 137,000 kilometers through five continents on its journey to the opening ceremony at the Birds' Nest, the main Olympic stadium, in Beijing on Aug. 8, 2008.