There are 294 days to go till the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. On the sidelines of the CPC National Congress, a CPC congress delegate and senior official of BOCOG says everything is going smoothly. He expressed the hope that the 2008 Olympic Games will help enhance the image of Beijing as an international city.

Vice mayor of Beijing and Executive Vice President of BOCOG, Liu Jingmin, says all major tasks have now been completed.

Delegate Liu Jingmin said, "The preparation work is well under way. This has laid a solid foundation for the successful holding of the 2008 Games."

Liu says construction of 27 out of the 37 venues for the 2008 Olympics is finished. Apart from the National Stadium, which will be ready next March, all remaining venues are scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

In regard to environmental improvement, he noted that 66 percent of the days in 2006 were "blue sky" days. That's nearly 18 percent higher than in 2000, the year before Beijing's bid for the Games.

Two months ago, Beijing implemented 4-day restriction policies on automobiles. Everyday, over 1 million motor vehicles were taken off the streets. This not only helped control traffic congestion, but also helped to relieve the city's pollution. According to authorities, pollutant emissions dropped by 20 percent.

Liu also says the preparation for the Games has greatly promoted the economic, social and cultural development of China. It has also boosted the development of human rights.

Liu said, "We've engaged in extensive consultations with different sectors of society in the selection of emblems,mascots, slogans and the designs of different venues. We also conduct social surveys to get people's opinion about how we can adjust our work to better reflect the wishes of the people."

In terms of the total budget for the Games, Liu says the current figure stands at 2 billion US dollars. That's about 400 million dollars less than the Games in Athens.

(CCTV October 20, 2007)