China greets Olympic flame with pride and tight security

By Nick Mulvenney

BEIJING (Reuters) - The Olympic flame arrived in Beijing on Monday to cheering and dancing, a moment of national pride for China but the start of a 130-day journey around the world that looks sure to trigger protests over Tibet.

Security was tight as President Hu Jintao lit a cauldron on a red-carpeted rostrum on Tiananmen Square and then handed the flame to Olympic champion high hurdler Liu Xiang, who ran a symbolic first leg of the torch relay.

"The century-old dream of the Chinese people to host the Olympic Games has been turned into a reality," said Xi Jinping, Hu's heir-apparent who is overseeing Olympic preparations.

"The torch relay will pull together the strength of the whole nation in making every effort to stage a unique and well-run Olympic Games and promote national development, social progress and people's well-being."

But what was envisioned as a "Journey of Harmony" that would illustrate unity ahead of the August 8 opening of the Games looks instead like becoming a lightning rod for protests.

At last week's flame-lighting ceremony in Greece activists unfurled banners condemning China's rights record, and on Sunday a small group of protesters tried to block the flame's handover to Beijing officials.

There was no direct mention of the protests on Monday as Xi and Games chief Liu Qi littered their short speeches with the phrase "peace and friendship".

"We believe that with the joint efforts of the torch relay cities, and all parties concerned, the Beijing 2008 torch relay ... will achieve full success," Liu said.