Chinese President Hu Jintao warned Friday against "politicizing" the Olympic Summer Games in Beijing which start on August 8.
Politicizing the games was contrary to the world's wishes for the Olympics and would "in the end undermine the Olympic movement," Hu said in a first group interview with foreign journalists. In his view this would not help in the solution of controversial problems, reported dpa.
The Beijing Games offered both an arena for exceptional athletes and a platform to increase understanding among people from all over the world, Hu said.
It was inevitable that people from different countries and regions had different views. Such differences could, however, only be overcome by dialogue on the same level, Hu said.
In the carefully prepared group interview on on Firday, Hu did not comment on human rights issues, Tibet or the controversy over internet censorship.
The foreign journalists at the press briefing, who were allowed only one question each, did not raise these issues. However, the two dozen participants had their questions vetted by the Chinese foreign ministry. Journalists who wanted to ask about Tibet or human rights were not given the opportunity to ask their questions.