Beijing give media assurances

Olympics minister Tessa Jowell has secured an undertaking from the head of the Beijing 2008 Olympics that the media will be given "unfettered access" to China during and before the Games.

Access for journalists is currently strictly controlled in China but Liu Qi, the president of the Beijing organising committee (BOCOG) and a member of the 20-strong ruling politburo, has given Jowell assurances during her visit to China this week.

Jowell said: "Liu Qi is an extremely senior member of the party in China and he gave me a very clear undertaking that journalists will have unfettered access to the Games, and to China more generally, during and in the run-up to the Olympics."

She added: "He said that all rules for journalists will follow international norms.

"We now have to make sure these promises are honoured and we will watch this very closely, but we have developed an extremely good relationship with BOCOG and this shows they are serious in the commitment they made during their bid to open China to the world."

Jowell also secured agreements for London 2012 to have one or two people "embedded" within BOCOG in the run-up to the Games to learn from the process, and paying particular attention to the staging of the Paralympics.

Liu Qi also agreed the UK should have some involvement in the cultural festival that will be held in Beijing around the time of the Games.