Beijing - German President Horst Koehler left China Monday on board a commercial Air China flight because of technical problems with his German air force plane.

The Airbus Konrad Adenauer could not be repaired in time, forcing Koehler and his 50-member delegation to fly to Frankfurt with the commercial airline.

During his three-day visit to Beijing, Koehler attended the opening of the Paralympics, the Olympic games for athletes with disabilities.

The German president said he wanted to send a sign of encouragement for the integration of the physically disabled into society.

Koehler met with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, Sunday and the two countries agreed to further promote relations.

"Sino-German ties have developed soundly thanks to the concerted efforts of the two sides," Hu said. (dpa)