BEIJING, Sept. 7 -- Visiting British Prime Minister Tony Blair's football skills have been the least successful part of his visit to China.

    
After seven attempts, Blair (R), 52, finally hit the back of the net, beating 13-year-old Chinese goalie Yan Xiangshan. (newsphoto)

    After seven attempts, Blair, 52, finally hit the back of the net, beating 13-year-old Chinese goalie Yan Xiangshan.

    "I did not try my best (to block the ball)," said Yan, a student from the attached high school of Renmin University.

    "Actually, I don't think his skills are very good!"

    Blair joined veteran football coach Sir Bobby Robson, who fed him the passes, and a group of China's youth football players at Beijing's Yuetan Stadium in the sunshine yesterday afternoon, in a move aimed at strengthening sports and cultural exchanges between the countries.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair (C) kicks a football as former England manager Sir Bobby Robson (R) coaches him whilst Chinese children look on at Yue Tan Stadium September 6. (AFP)

    On the track, British athletics legend Colin Jackson coached 20 young Chinese athletes including China's Olympic champion Liu Xiang, with whom he shares the world record, 12.91 seconds, in the men's 110-metre hurdles.

    In Beijing for EU-China summit talks, Blair was accompanied by celebrities such as Robson, Royal Ballet principal dancer Darcey Bussell, leading architect Norman Foster and film director Richard Curtis.

    They hosted master classes to share their expertise with Chinese students, dancers and athletes.

    Although there are still almost three years before Beijing passes the Olympic baton to London, both China and Britain are willing to co-operate in the area of sports, now and in the future.

    Before joining her husband in observing the master classes, Cherie Blair had participated in a table tennis exhibition with 20 disabled Chinese athletes elsewhere in the capital.

    As the wife of the prime minister of the nation where sports for disabled people originated, Mrs Blair also appeared in the China Disabled Persons' Federation's new hall.

    In a 30-minute talk with the federation Chairman Deng Pufang, she expressed London's wish for a more frequent exchange of ideas with Beijing about the hosting of the Paralympic Games, and agreed to help lobby the United Nations to pass the convention for disabled people's rights.

    As the Blairs were about to leave, they were stopped by a journalist who reminded them of a promise Blair had made two years ago.

    Xu Bo was a communications major at Tsinghua University when Blair held an informal question-and-answer session there in 2003.

    Xu, dressed in a green and white shirt, complimented Blair on his blue silk tie.

    Blair quickly responded: "I like your shirt," and the two agreed to send each other the tie and the shirt afterwards.

    Blair remembered the story. "British people always keep promises," Blair said, who immediately loosened his special red and blue-tinged Olympic tie and gave it to the young man with an autograph.

    Xu, now a working journalist, said he was a little surprised because he just wanted to say hello to the prime minister.

    "He looks much older than two years ago," Xu said, adding that he will send Blair a Chinese-style shirt today.

    According to the sources from the British Embassy, one of the two major purposes of Blair's visit is to discuss ways to develop the Sino-British relationship through increased exchanges and educational and cultural links.

    The two countries signed the Cultural Exchange Programme agreement in Beijing yesterday, which will highlight planned cultural activities until 2010.

    Meanwhile, the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum both announced yesterday a programme of collaboration with museums across China.

    Blair and the press contingent flew on to India yesterday for a two-day visit.

(Source: China Daily)