BEIJING, CHINA - HOST nation China pulled away from its rivals at the Beijing Paralympics on Friday as its medal tally soared over 100.

China has now won more medals in just over five days of competition than it did during the whole of last month's Olympics, when it won exactly 100.

The Paralympic haul is made up of 34 golds, 40 silvers and 27 bronze.

'The Chinese athletes are doing very well and there is high morale among all the athletes from China and now they are number one in the medal tally both in gold medals and in terms of gold and silver and bronze medals,' said Mr Wang Wei, the vice-president of organising committee BOCOG.

But he added that promoting the Paralympic movement and the cause of people with disabilities in China was more important than medals.

Roared on by passionate crowds, the Chinese are closing in on their tally of 63 golds at the 2004 Athens Paralympics, which was enough to see them top the table well clear of Britain and Canada.

More than 4,000 competitors from nearly 150 countries and regions are battling for 472 gold medals in 20 sports at the eye-catching venues used for last month's Olympics, such as the 'Bird's Nest' and the Water Cube.

China's Olympic tally of 100 medals included 51 golds, meaning it finished atop the table ahead of the United States, with 36 golds.

The sports at the Paralympics, which end on Sept 17, include athletics, swimming, powerlifting, wheelchair fencing and five-a-side and seven-a-side football, as well as the lesser-known globally and boccia. -- AFP