BEIJING, April 12 -- Ken Livingstone, mayor of 2012 Olympic host city London, said he was very impressed by the speed and progress made by the Chinese capital in preparing for the 2008 Games, pledging to build a increasingly close and warm relationship between the two cities.

Ken Livingstone, mayor of 2012 Olympic host city London, takes a tour of the building site of Beijing's 2008 Olympics village April 11, 2006. [Xinhua photo]

    He said he was astonished to see that Beijing has been mobilizing so many workers on each Olympic site. He said the National Stadium, dubbed the "Bird's Nest," has "really been a challenge" concerning its design and architectural technology.

    Livingstone made the remarks yesterday after his three-day visit to Beijing, which included meeting with the organizing committee of the 2008 Olympic Games to foster relations with the London 2012 committee.

    While London could learn from Beijing's efforts to organize the Olympics, the British capital could help the Chinese football team by offering a training session with Chelsea Football Club, one of the three best football clubs in Britain.

    The mayor also volunteered to teach the Chinese how to regulate traffic better, as this has been the biggest success in London over the last five years.

    "We have had a very good experience in London with the congestion charge. It has persuaded 4 per cent of Londoners to use public transportation instead of their cars," he said, adding that carbon pollution has also seen a significant reduction.

    Livingstone said his trip to China is much more than an information exchange. "We want to try and build very strong links between London and Beijing."

Ken Livingstone, mayor of 2012 Olympic host city London, takes a tour of the building site of Beijing's 2008 Olympics village April 11, 2006. [Xinhua photo]

    His words were proved by the large delegation he headed, representing mostly the business and financial communities, in a signal that the trip is also aimed at boosting business ties between the two capitals.

    Livingstone and his Beijing counterpart Wang Qishan signed a partnership agreement on Monday to co-operate in the run-up to the Olympic games.

    Livingstone said the agreement reflects the joint commitment of the two mayors to work together to encourage business and trade links, tourism, educational exchanges and cultural relations to benefit the two capitals.

    He also said that Wang has been invited to London early next year for a meeting of European mayors, where Wang is expected to discuss common concerns, such as environmental issues, with mayors from cities such as Paris and Moscow.

    Livingstone is scheduled to fly to Shanghai today to continue the latter part of his six-day China tour.

    (Source:China Daily)