'French President Sarkozy arrives in Beijing for Games'

French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives in Beijing for a short visit in which he will attend the Olympic Games opening ceremony.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Beijing on Friday for a short visit in which he will attend the Olympic Games opening ceremony, state media reported.

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Sarkozy landed around 11:00 am (0300 GMT) at the Chinese capital's airport, but is expected to leave on the same day after the Olympic celebrations.

The French president is due to go to the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square to attend a banquet hosted by his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao for the heads of state and government in Beijing for the Games.

The two will meet later on in the afternoon, and Sarkozy will also meet Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

Before that, he will visit the Olympic village to meet with French athletes.