Li Changjiang, head of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) answers questions during a press conference at the news center for the First Session of the the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) and the First Session of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 13, 2008. (Xinhua/Liu Quanlong)
The Beijing Summer Olympics will offer a rare opportunity for foreign participants to enjoy authentic, top-grade Chinese food, which they simply can't afford to miss, China's top quarantine control official said in Beijing on Thursday.
"I believe all (foreign) participants to the Games will see this as a good opportunity to enjoy authentic Chinese food, which they won't let go. So I don't believe they will carry their own food with them," Li Changjiang, head of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), told a press conference on the sidelines of the parliament session.
In response to a question whether foreign sports delegations or individual athletes could enjoy some special treatment regarding carrying food into China during the Games, Li said that Chinese laws clearly ban food imports from areas under quarantine restrictions.
"The AQSIQ will handle food brought in from those areas in accordance with the law," he added.