China Has No Plans To Shut Down Factories During Olympics - Beijing Party Chief Dismisses Fears - FT

[hatrack]

China has no plans to order factories in and around Beijing to suspend operations during next year’s Olympic Games, despite widespread concerns about the effect of air pollution on athletes.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Liu Qi, Beijing Communist party chief and head of the Olympic organising committee, waved aside worries that bad air could mar a sporting event in which the government has invested enormous political capital.

“We are completely confident that Olympic athletes will be able to take part in their competitions normally next August,” said Mr Liu, who is the capital’s most powerful official.

With analysts reporting that concentrations of fine particulates and ozone often hit unsafe levels in Beijing in summer, it had been widely assumed that China would order some companies in the city and nearby provinces to close or reduce production during the event. However, Mr Liu said that while regional governments were co-operating with efforts to combat air pollution, their focus was on implementing existing environmental rules rather than on temporary measures.

EDIT

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/883b0df8-655c-11dc-bf89-0000779fd2ac.html

[KansDem]

1. Why should it? I don't recall a similar cry when Los Angeles hosted the 1984 games...

It was hot and smoggy then but industry went on as usual.

Granted California has done wonders cleaning up it's cities' air since the 1960s, but I remember some concern expressed for athletes coming from cleaner environments (remember the Swiss womens' marathon runner who came in last?}

It's not like we didn't know China had air-pollution problems when it was awarded the 2008 bid...