BEIJING -- The People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China (CPC), hailed the opening of the 2008 Beijing Paralympics in an editorial appeared on Saturday.

The editorial, under the title of "Belonging to the same world, seeking a beautiful dream", says the opening of Paralympics would be a moment when the Paralympic spirit merged into the Chinese traditional virtue of "assisting the disabled".

It is also a moment when the spirit of humanism meets with the concept of humanistic Olympics in China, it adds.

"The Beijing Paralympics, the largest sports gathering for the disabled, have provided a stage for the world's handicapped people to realize their dreams," it says.

The two Games would shine equal splendor, says the editorial, adding the Chinese people, with the support of the whole world and the experience in holding a high-level and unique Olympics, are fully confident and capable of staging a wonderful Paralympics to the world.

Over the past few years, remarkable progress has been made in basic living standards, medicare, education and employment for the disabled, and the preparation for the Beijing Paralympics, to some extent, recorded fresh achievement made by China in promoting the cause for the disabled, it concludes.