"The Beijing Olympic Games was a window through which people around the world gained a better understanding about China," said Bernard Debre, a member of the French National Assembly, on Friday.

Debre, who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, told Xinhua that he was overwhelmed by the splendid performances.

"It was an unforgettable night," he said, "the best thing about the opening ceremony was that it combined China's traditional civilization with modernization."

China has impressed the whole world not only with brilliant Olympics opening and closing ceremonies but also the excellent organization of the Games, said the lawmaker.

Beijing has adopted a series of measures to ensure the smooth proceeding of the Games, and the setting aside of special Olympic lanes has particularly facilitated the movement of the athletes around the city, he added.

The unique designs of the Olympic stadiums such as the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube are also very impressive, he said.

"If I am to use one word to describe the organizing work of the Beijing Olympics, I would say it is 'perfect'," said Debre.

Debre, who is also an excellent urologist, has witnessed China's development over the years since he dedicated himself to the medical exchanges between France and China.

"About 20 years ago, many people in Beijing still wore uniforms. But now walking on Beijing streets, you see people wearing fashionable clothes and enjoying a happy life," he said.

"China is opening its door to the world and has shown the world a new image and its unique vitality," Debre said.

With a huge population and various ethnic groups, China has chosen its own way of development and made sustained development, he added.

As for some people's criticism of China's development and skepticism over China's capability to host the Olympics, Debre said: "facts have proved that those opinions were groundless. In facing either problems related to the Olympics or its own development, China has withstood all the tests and achieved success."

Debre, who served as the country's cooperation minister in the 1990s, comes from a distinguished family. His brother Jean-Louis Debre is the president of the French Constitutional Council. His father Michel Debre served as prime minister of De Gaulle's government from 1959 to 1962.

His grandfather, Robert Debre, was a world famous pediatrician and participated in the founding of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

(Xinhua News Agency August 30, 2008)