Vanuatu's President and the British Queen's representative in the Cook Islands arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, three days ahead of the start of the Olympic Games.

Vanuatu's President Kalkot Mataskelekele arrived at the Beijing Capital International Airport at 11:25 a.m. after flying through Hong Kong.

Frederick Goodwin, the representative of Queen Elizabeth II, head of state in the Cook Islands, reached the airport at 1:20 p.m. after transferring in Shanghai.

They were both greeted by Chinese government representative and Science and Technology deputy minister Shang Yong.

Since Thursday, honored guests have been arriving in Beijing one after another in the countdown to the Games, which starts with Friday's opening ceremony.

As of Tuesday, the airport had received 13 international honored guests, with more than 60 expected to arrive in the next three days.

More than 80 state leaders and royals are expected to attend the opening of the Olympic Games and other relevant activities.

(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2008)