Boris Johnson has said he is "not intimidated" by the success of the Beijing Olympics after arriving in China.

London's Mayor travelled to the host city ahead of the closing ceremony of the Games on Sunday.

The handover from Beijing to London will see the Olympic flag given to Mr Johnson in an eight-minute sequence that is expected to feature David Beckham and performances by Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and pop singer Leona Lewis.

The occasion will also be celebrated in London with a party and concert in front of Buckingham Palace, and an appearance by American swimmer Michael Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals in Beijing.

Asked if the organisers of the 2012 London Games will be able to produce an opening ceremony on a par with the spectacular event in Beijing, Mr Johnson said: "I am thrilled, I'm overwhelmed, I'm incredibly excited but I'm not intimidated."

At a press conference in Beijing's London House, the city's official presence in the Chinese capital, Mr Johnson was asked his opinion about human rights in China.

He said: "I certainly don't think you can overlook human rights abuses and on the other hand I don't think that you are necessarily going to achieve what you want in this context by show boating and grand-standing and that kind of thing.

"I'd rather that we use the excitement of the Games and we use the opportunity to open China up to the world, to help the Chinese to understand why people care so much about it across the world."

He was also asked about one of the controversies surrounding the opening ceremony - the use of nine-year-old Lin Miaoke to mime because the real singer, Yang Peiyi, seven, had crooked teeth.

"I don't think we would have necessarily done the switcharoo with the girl with the braces," he said.

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