Peruvian President Alan Garcia said Friday that the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics was "spectacular, superb and amazing."

From the Chinese embassy in Peru, Garcia said that the ceremony showed a country with a large population and ancient civilization.

"Peru and the Peruvians should get inside that spirit, to absorb that unbendable soul," Garcia said.

Garcia together with the Chinese ambassador to Peru Gao Zhengyue and more than 300 people watched the opening ceremony at the embassy.

Ambassador Gao welcomed Garcia, Foreign Minister Jose Garcia Belaunde, Exterior Trade and Tourist Minister Mercedes Araoz and Health Minister Hernan Garrido-Lecca at the main door of the embassy.

Gao said that to organize the sports gala is a big challenge not only for Beijing but for the Chinese government and people "to offer an Olympic Games of high competitiveness and to show the world the development of China's modernity and its will of peace and brotherhood."

"We hope Peru can have a good performance and win medals," Gao said.

Garcia told Xinhua that he admires China "for its history and for the model it is developing".

Garcia said, "The images we see at TV are amazing. Specially I am amazed for the Olympic stadium. It is a real picture of what China is."

"We hope to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in presence of Chinese President Hu Jintao in November during Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum to be hold in Lima," Garcia Belaunde said.

The FTA "opens us a potential market not only in trade but in investment, technology transfer and cooperation, based on almost 160 years of brotherhood and friendship between Peru and China," Garcia Belaunde said.

Source:Xinhua