President George W. Bush

The White House says U.S. President George Bush and first lady Laura Bush will attend the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Beijing.

That announcement Thursday is the first confirmation of the president's plans to attend the August 8 ceremony, despite calls from some U.S. lawmakers and activists for a boycott.

Mr. Bush also will travel to Thailand and South Korea during the August trip.  In South Korea, he will meet with President Lee Myung-bak to discuss ratification of a bilateral free trade agreement.

The U.S. president also will hold talks with senior leaders during his stops in Bangkok and Beijing.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.