Premier Wen Jiabao said on Tuesday that the recent Lhasa riot was aimed to undermine the upcoming Beijing Olympics.

The force behind the riot tries "to serve their hidden agenda by inciting such incident," Wen made the remarks at a press conference held following the conclusion of the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature.

He said the principles in the Olympic Charter should be enshrined. "We need to respect the principle in the Olympic Charter that the Games should not be politicized."

Though China is not a developed country and may encounter problems of this or that sorts in the preparation of the Games, Wen said, "I can ensure you that Chinese people are most sincere in their wish to host a successful Olympic Games."

Wen said China is a country with 5,000 years of history and to host the Games is a dream shared by Chinese people of many generations. "I think the Beijing Olympics will be a grand gathering all over the world."

He said that by hosting the Games China wants to "further friendship and cooperation with people all over the world" and all Chinese people hope to see a successful Olympic Games here.

Wen ensured that all athletes and people of all countries would be satisfied with the Beijing Olympics. "I have confidence that the smiles of 1.3 billion people in front of the world will be reciprocated by the smiles of the people from all over the world."

(Xinhua News Agency March 18, 2008)