New Delhi, Jul 3: French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been declared persona non grata for this year's Beijing Olympics, according to an online poll in China. Nearly 90 per cent of Chinese respondents said they oppose Sarkozy's attendance at the August 8-24 Olympics.

The poll, conducted by Internet portal sina.com, was in response to Sarkozy's threat to boycott the Games' opening ceremonies. 88 per cent said they viewed his attitude toward China as "extremely unfriendly," reports China Daily. Sarkozy on Monday, June 30 linked his attendance at the opening ceremony to progress in a second round of talks between China and the Dalai Lama over the situation in Tibet.

Wu Yikang, chairman of the Shanghai Institute of European Studies, said Sarkozy's discrepancy regarding China is not up to the standard of a thoughtful and responsible statesman.

"Sarkozy's gesture of setting conditions for his attendance at the Beijing Olympics is an unfriendly move toward China. It shows his immaturity and carelessness as a politician," Wu said in an interview with the Beijing-based Global Times.

"The Chinese government will certainly not yield to his move. During a visit to China last year, during which the two countries signed business deals worth billions of euros, Sarkozy said he wanted to "book a seat" for the Beijing Olympics," he added.

ANI