Beijing: China's top film-maker Zhang Yimou said Hollywood director Steven Spielberg's resignation as an adviser to the Beijing Olympics was "quite regrettable", but would not affect the Games, the China News Service said.

Zhang and Spielberg were working on the direction team for the opening and closing ceremonies for the August 8-24 Games, widely expected to be a spectacular affair showcasing China's rich culture.

The absence of the three-time Oscar winner, who pulled out last month over China's policy on the conflict in the Sudan region of Darfur, would not have any effect on the opening ceremony, Zhang was quoted as saying by the semi-official China News Service.

Spielberg said China was doing too little to help halt the bloodshed in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, where Khartoum-linked militia have battled rebel groups.