Beijing’s skies are looking bluer in the last few days since it imposed a slew of severe restrictions, including a partial car ban and the stoppage of major pollution sources, on July 20.

Half of the capital’s 3.3 million cars, excluding taxis, buses and emergency vehicles, are forced off the roads on alternate days depending on whether the license plate ends in an odd or even number. The temporary measure, to be enforced till September 20, will ensure good air quality for the athletes competing in the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Those drivers caught violating the rules will be fined 100yuan (US$14), according to the municipal traffic management bureau.

Earlier, the capital banned aging vehicles that failed to meet municipal emission standards, which are also called yellow-labeled vehicles or freight trucks.

This two-month driving restriction should cut vehicle emissions of 118,000 tons which is about 63 percent of total emissions in Beijing, said Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the Beijing municipal environmental protection bureau. The measures will also curb air pollution and ease traffic congestion for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Aside from restricting car use, Beijing has also closed heavy industries, halted dusty construction sites and stopped outdoor spray-painting to clear the skies and maintain relatively fresh air for a “Green Games.”

Nineteen heavy-polluting industries, including steel and cement mills, coke plants and refineries, have been asked to cut emissions by 30 percent, according to Du.

In addition, neighboring cities, including Tianjin and Tangshan, have also joined the efforts to ensure good air quality for the Games.

Tianjin, a nearby industrial port about 70 miles east of Beijing, will order 40 polluting factories to suspend operations for two months from July 25, according to Xinhua. As a host city for the Olympic football qualifiers, work at 26 construction sites near the city’s Olympic Stadium will also be closed.

One of China’s busiest steel centers, Tangshan, which is about 90 miles from Beijing, has ordered 267 factories to freeze operations by July 8.

According to statistics from the Beijing environmental protection bureau, these measures have brought about initial success. Data from the bureau shows the density of nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide generated by vehicle emissions has reduced by 15 percent and 27 percent respectively.

“There were 16 more blue-sky days than the same period last year,” said Du. The bureau also reports a 143-blue-sky-day record up until July 21.

With all these measures in place, “Beijing is confident to fulfill its commitment to improving air quality and meeting the International Olympic Committee (IOC) standards during the Olympics”, Du said.

Source: China Daily
Date: 07/22/08

SINGAPORE – Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said here on Tuesday that Chinese government and people will faithfully honor their commitment to the world and work together with the international community to ensure the success of the Beijing Olympic Games.

At the ASEAN Plus Three (China, Japan, South Korea) Ministerial Meeting held in Singapore on Tuesday, Yang said all the preparations for the Beijing Olympic Games are now in order, adding that the Games will open in Beijing in 17 days.

The Chinese foreign minister expressed thanks to ASEAN countries, Japan and South Korea for their “keen interest in and generous support to the Beijing Olympic Games.”

As a grand sports event, the Games will contribute to friendship and cooperation among people of all countries”, said he.

He said China will work together with world community to ensure the success of the Games and promote the Olympic spirit and movement.

“We sincerely wish athletes from ASEAN countries, Japan and the ROK every success at the Games”, Yang said.

Source: China Daily
Date: 07/21/08

Beijing Sunday inched a step closer to realizing a green Olympics by enforcing a series of measures to ease traffic jams and reduce pollution.

Vehicles with even and odd plates will hit the roads only on alternate days, which effectively means just half of the capital’s 3.29 million automobiles can run on any given day.

With more than 1,000 new cars being registered every day, Beijing is fast becoming one of the world’s most congested cities. But the traffic restrictions will hopefully make another 4 million people use public transport.

There were fewer vehicles on the roads Sunday and people found it easier to drive after the even-and-odd license plate rule was enforced. It will be in force till Sept 20, when the Paralympic Games ends.

On a normal day, a drive from Liuliqiao Bridge, on southwest Third Ring Road, to Beitucheng, on the northeast, would take more than an hour. But Sunday morning it took only half an hour.

Beijing residents are eager to use public transport if it’s fast and comfortable. For instance, Lin Fengjiang, whose vehicle has an odd license plate number, took a bus because of the restrictions. “It’s okay with me. Buses are running very fast today. They’re more time-efficient.”

Yao Zhenping, assistant to the general manager of the Beijing Public Transport Holdings Group, said more than 95 percent of the buses ran on schedule Sunday, which is impossible on normal days of traffic congestions.

The city authorities said the restrictions, along with an earlier ban on the use of vehicles that had failed to meet emission standards, could keep up to 2 million vehicles off the roads.

Pollution has been one of the biggest problems for the Olympics organizers, who are banking on the traffic and industrial restrictions to ensure blue skies for the athletes and other visitors, especially because car emissions are the major source of air pollution in Beijing.

He Kebin, a professor at the department of environmental science and engineering of Tsinghua University, said Beijing had met almost all major indicators of air quality for the Olympics, except that for the inhalable particulate.

“Vehicles account for more than 50 percent of inhalable particulate, and traffic restrictions are the most effective way to deal with it,” He said.

Environmentalists estimate that the even-and-odd number plate rule and the ban on vehicles that failed to meet emission standards would cut emissions by 63 percent.

The city authorities have warned drivers not to flout the even-and-odd plate rule because hi-tech surveillance cameras can easily detect their numbers, and once caught they would be fined heavily.

More than 10,000 “smart devices”, including cameras and electronic detectors have been installed on major roads and dozens of designated Olympic routes.

Taxi drivers, who loose valuable time and money because of traffic jams, have welcomed the traffic restrictions. “See, the traffic is already so much better, it’s much easier to drive today,” said a smiling Han Jianguo from behind the wheel of his cab.

But ordinary Beijingers who will have to cope with the already-crowded public transport were not all so thrilled. Some richer ones, however, have bought a second car.

“The rules will certainly help (ease congestion). But it will create some real difficulties for ordinary people,” said a city resident, Liu Shuo.

A series of regulations to check emission from factories in and around Beijing, too, went into effect Sunday. More than 150 high-polluting cement and other factories will be closed for two months.

Tianjin, a port city east of Beijing and host to the Games’ soccer qualifying matches, has ordered 40 factories to close down temporarily.

And the industrial base of Tangshan, northeast of Beijing, will shut down nearly 300 factories this month.

Beijing has spent about 120 billion yuan ($17.58 billion) to clean the environment.

Source: China Daily
Date: 07/20/08

PARIS – Beijing will host an outstanding Olympic event, said Bernard Debre, a member of the French National Assembly, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Debre, who will accompany French President Nicolas Sarkozy to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics scheduled for August 8, said the International Olympic Committee made a very good decision to choose Beijing as the host city for the Games, which come at a good time when China keeps opening itself up to the outside world.

He voiced his indignation at those attempts to disrupt the Olympic torch relay in Paris and some other cities, calling them “shameful” acts and said “politicization of the Olympic Games means the death of the Olympic spirit.”

The lawmaker also expressed his appreciation of China’s preparation for the upcoming Games, and particularly the venues’ architecture.

Debre, who is also an excellent urologist and visited the earthquake-hit Sichuan province of China in early June, recalled his past tour, saying he was both shocked and moved.

“When the earthquake struck Sichuan, I thought I should go to the spot to do something for the quake victims either out of the professional humanitarianism or our friendship. The seed for this sentiment was planted in the times of my father who was the first prime minister in the De Gaulle administration and was dedicated to promoting the French-Chinese friendship,” said Debre.

As one of the first Western doctors that entered the disaster-hit zone, he still vividly remembered what he saw in the quake area.

“Everything was going on in an orderly way. People were no more panicky although they still wore painful expressions. I saw many soldiers and volunteers were working selflessly. Psychologists arrived in the disaster zone about three weeks after the quake to carry out psychological intervention. Many ordinary people drove their private cars to send medicine and food to the quake victims. In a way, the entire China was mobilized… as a doctor, I have taken part in the disaster relief efforts in many countries, but none was as united and touching as the one in China,” he recalled emotionally.

After he returned to China, he wrote an article entitled “I saw China was back on foot,” in which he gave a full account of the touching details he experienced in Sichuan.

“I love China, and I love the Chinese people even more,” he repeated these words several times during the interview. He also expressed the hope that he could raise more money in France to help the people in Sichuan.

Debre, who served as the country’s cooperation minister in the 1990s, comes from a distinguished family. His grandfather Robert Debre was a world famous pediatrician who participated in the founding of the United Nations Children’s Fund.

His brother Jean-Louis Debre is the president of the French Constitutional Council, a significant political body in the country which is responsible for examining whether a law draft is in accordance with the Constitution and to observe the presidential and parliamentary elections.

Source: China Daily
Date: 07/19/09

SHANGHAI: The city’s two airports in Pudong and Hongqiao will conduct special security checks from Sunday to prevent any passengers from carrying explosive, flammable or chemical materials.

Asking passengers to arrive two hours before their departure time, the city’s airport authority said the beefed-up security measures will last until the end of the Beijing Olympics.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said on July 7 that passengers carrying explosive or flammable materials will be dealt with in accordance with the law, and are liable to miss their flights.

Security equipment will also be installed at the entrances of airport terminals in major cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Qingdao.

The authority said local security staff will use a “test paper” to detect any prohibited items inside passengers’ baggage, but did not elaborate.

In addition, everyone entering the terminals – including airport staff – will be required to pass through security checks.

Motorists are advised not to park in front of terminal buildings in order to prevent traffic jams.

Passengers are not allowed to take liquids or gels on domestic flights, but can take one kind of cosmetic with a volume of no more than 100 ml.

Source: China Daily
Date: 07/18/08

OTTAWA – Canadian athletes consider their upcoming trip to Beijing not only about competition, but also a unique opportunity to experience both China’s modern wonders and its ancient civilization, said Michael Chambers, president of Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) on Thursday.

Having been to Beijing for three times, Chambers said that he himself is also viewing the Games as the best time to satisfy his interest in Chinese culture.

“What I am most looking forward to is through the opening ceremonies presentation, I could learn more and experience more the culture of China, and come away more sewed with my understanding of the culture of China,” he told Xinhua in an interview.

While their primary focus in Beijing would be competition, Canadian athletes will be very anxious to take the opportunities to see and experience the modern China and its history, so that when they come back they will be very proud for having a better knowledge about China.

“This is important, very important,” he stressed.

Chambers sees Beijing well-prepared for hosting the Games. The venues are terrific and are going to be equal for the speed and to the caliber of athletes. The city itself and the people there are also ready to welcome the athletes and visitors from throughout the world, he said.

The Canadian government has decided to send a large delegation led by Foreign Minister David Emerson to attend the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Games. This reflects Canada’s strong interest in improving bilateral relations with China, said Chambers.

Talking about his expectations for the Canadian team’s performance in the Games, Chambers said Canada targets top 16, with the strongest possibilities of getting medals in canoe/kayak, rowing, diving, swimming, athletics, sailing, and trampoline.

The Canadian team ended the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics with 12 medals, placing 19th in the overall medal count.

BEIJING  — China is trying its best to facilitate foreign media’s coverage of the Olympics, said Beijing Olympic Games’ spokesman Guo Weimin here on Thursday.

In response to recent reports concerning worries on whether foreign media could cover news freely in China, Guo reiterated such reporters, as well as those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, were free in covering news and doing interviews during the Games once it was agreed by the people or organizations to be interviewed.

The regulation on reporting activities in China by foreign media during the Beijing Olympic Games and the preparatory period had been implemented for about a year, Guo said during the press conference. “Generally, we have received favorable feedback from the foreign media.”

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) and other relevant departments had offered “as much assistance as possible” to foreign media. Efforts were made to help them import their equipment into China smoothly, he said.

So far, the authorities had approved 407 applications from television transmission companies and registered media for importing and using satellite devices. These included 52 satellite news operations.

The local authorities had also cooperated with foreign media in requests to hire helicopters for shooting and setting up cameras in some popular tourists sites, including Tian’anmen Square, Guo said.

Beijing had learned from other Olympic hosts how to efficiently operate its three media centers for the Games, Guo said. Since starting operation on July 8, its centers had operated accordingly.

From this week, there would be two press conferences daily on average, in addition to pool interviews and cultural functions.

“We will try our best to serve all media and welcome them to give us advice and proposals,” Guo said.