Countdown to history

It is a coincidence of historic significance that the 2008 Olympic torch is to come home on a day when the country celebrates the 100-day countdown to the Games. The torch is due to arrive in Hong Kong this afternoon and we expect the homecoming to be safe.

Beijing, the host city of the Games this summer, has been extending its welcoming hand to athletes and people from all over the world. The spirit is captured in "You are welcome to Beijing," a theme song to mark the 100-day countdown. It encourages people to dream and to be confident. Beijing has invited the rest of the world to share its beautiful dream - by making the world's biggest sporting spectacle ever a success.

Despite the noises and acts of sabotage by Tibetan separatists and their Western cohorts, the torch relay has been running smoothly as scheduled. The relay, covering the longest-ever distance in Olympic history and passing through 19 international cities, was an opportunity for the rest of the world to know China - its culture, history and people - better.