Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says human rights dialogue with China is a lengthy process and cannot be rushed.
The PM is in Beijing for tonight's opening ceremony and has met with China's Premier Wen Jiabao.
Mr Rudd says he brought up China's human rights abuses and the situation in Tibet.
“[I said] these [are] concerns and we would continue to prosecute these concerns with the Chinese leadership,” he told reporters in Beijing.
“Both through the discussions we have just had and through the bilateral human rights dialogue that lies ahead.”
But the Prime Minister refused to buy into the debate over Beijing's pollution, saying it's being closely monitored by the International Olympic Committee.
"The IOC has said that they will be taking regular monitoring of air quality," he said.
"And if the IOC have concerns about the well-being of athletes they will take appropriate action. That strikes me as a responsible course of action, it's the right course of action.
"These things have to be subjected to science."