Belgians give thumbs up

In Brussels, heart of the European Union (EU), overseas Chinese, along with dozens of Belgians, gathered before a big flat screen in a Chinese restaurant to watch the opening ceremony.

As one of nearly 4 billion viewers across the world, David Fouquet, director of the Brussels-based Asia Europe Project Information Service, said: "It was quite impressive. It would have been even more impressive if I could have been there rather than watching it on the screen."

Karate performers during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8, 2008. The three-hour show at Beijing's iconic "Bird's Nest" national stadium is set to see more than 15,000 performers showcase the nation's ancient history and its development. [Agencies]

Andre Puttemans, managing director of a business consultancy, said: "The opening ceremony was not a copy of the Western world. It was Chinese.

"I think the Chinese people have the right to be very proud of what they have achieved."

When the national flag of China was raised at the beginning of the ceremony, everyone in the restaurant stood up to show their respect and admiration, Puttemans said.

"In dealing with China over the last 22 years, I have seen great changes there. I think in spite of all the difficulties before the Games, my personal feeling is China has been evolving nicely," he said.

Bernard Dewit, chairman of the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, said the opening ceremony presented a modern and changing China.

"It was beautiful. The ceremony showed that China is a modern country," he said.

Dewit, a lawyer who published a book on Chinese business law in 1980s, said China's hosting of the Olympic Games marked a step forward for the emerging nation to be more open to the outside world.

"It will convince people that China is continuing with its opening up," Dewit said.

He said it was a good coincidence that this year China was also celebrating the 30th anniversary of its opening up policy, which was introduced by the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in 1978.

Dewit said the Games would definitely help promote China, which is already one of the world's most vibrant economies and promising markets.