President Hu Jintao said he was confident of a "special and high-level" Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008.

"We believe, through efforts, we can host a special and high-level Olympic Games," said Hu in a joint interview with Russian media on Tuesday.

Xinhua was authorized to release the content of the interview on Sunday. At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Hu will pay a state visit to Russia from March 26 to 28.

"To host Olympics has been the expectation of the Chinese nation in the past century and the common aspiration of the Chinese people. The Chinese government pays great attention to the Beijing Olympics," Hu said.

Hu told the Russian media that preparations for the event were proceeding well as scheduled, including construction of sports venues and facilities, organization of sports events, cultural publicity, media service and security.

(Xinhua News Agency March 26, 2007)