Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has reiterated his opposition to a boycott of the Beijing Games. He made the remarks during a speech at Peking University in Beijing. Rudd arrived in the Chinese capital on Wednesday morning, at the start of an official visit to China.
The Australian Prime Minister, who has studied Chinese language since his university days, delivered his speech in fluent Chinese.
Kevin Rudd said, "China has an old saying: Don't fear heaven, don't fear earth, but be very afraid when foreigners try to speak Chinese."
The speech then turned to some more serious topics.
Kevin Rudd said, "Some people have called for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics because of the Tibet issue. Just like I said on Sunday in London, I don't agree with that, and I don't think that's right. The Olympics are important for China to get in touch and communicate with the world."
He urged all parties to avoid violence on the Tibet issue and seek a solution through dialogue.
During his stay in China, the Australian Prime Minister will meet with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao to talk about bilateral trade, investment and energy cooperation.
He will also meet with President Hu Jintao in the island province of Hainan on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia, which will open on Friday.
