Beijing's Olympics will not be shrouded in smog or choked by traffic jams, the city's top Games official promised yesterday.

 

With the two-year countdown to the 2008 Games beginning tomorrow, Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), said he was confident air pollution and traffic jams would be tackled in time for the opening ceremony.

 

"The problems that exist in Beijing, such as traffic jams and environmental pollution, are things we have to solve, whether we are hosting the Olympics or not," said Liu, who is also secretary of the Party's Beijing municipal committee.

 

"Preparing for the Games should allow us to bring solutions to these problems ahead of schedule."

 

Beijing has made great steps in improving the air quality in recent years and the situation is getting better and better, said Liu.

 

Statistics show the number of "blue sky" days last year days when the air quality reached Grade II or better accounted for 64 percent of the year. This year's goal is 65 percent, or 238 days.

 

In April the city was battered by frequent sand storms, leading to doubt the target number of "blue sky" days would be reached.

 

But despite the harsh spring, Liu remains confident.

 

"Due to the sand storms, we were 10 days down on last year's total number of 'blue sky' days," he said. "But almost every day in July qualified so we've regained seven days."

 

After the sand storms, all the more than 9,000 construction sites in Beijing improved their management, and today all construction site's sand mounds are covered to avoid dust getting caught by the wind, according to Liu.

 

"With these measures, I'm confident of reaching our goal of 238 'blue sky' days this year," he said.

 

Liu also revealed other measures being taken to reduce pollution in the city. For example, besides moving the Beijing Shougang Company's steel works out of the city in February, the Beijing Coking Plant, which was founded in the southeastern part of Beijing in 1958, also stopped production last month.

 

According to Liu, the city's industrial structure has been readjusted, with industrial production now only accounting for around 20 percent of the capital's economy.

 

"In addition, we have taken great steps in improving the energy sources structure using clean energy sources like electricity and natural gas," he said.

 

As for automobile emissions, Beijing has adopted emission standards equivalent to the European III Emission Standard, and will even use the European IV standard in the future, Liu said. "Although we have a large amount of vehicles, the emission standards could reach international levels," he added.

 

No more jams

 

Liu also promised effective measures to solve the city's traffic jams, ensuring a convenient Games in 2008.

 

Government and BOCOG transport departments have carried out a detailed research into the number of people expected for the Games, said Liu.

 

It is estimated that during the Games there will be around 500,000 foreign visitors in Beijing with around 200,000 to 240,000 at the Olympic Green, at the center of the Games venues.

 

Measures will be taken to provide efficient transport services for such a large amount of people, said Liu.

 

"Infrastructure projects will be accelerated, such as the building of four subway lines the airport subway, the Olympic subway line and subways No 5 and No 10," said Liu.

 

"We will also open more express public transport routes and set up more transport hubs across the city," he added.

 

Temporary traffic controls will also be in force during the Games.

 

"Learning from other Olympic host cities, we will designate special transport routes for the Games and enforce extra traffic controls," said Liu.

 

"We will also modernize the transport management network."

 

With only two years to go before the Games open, Liu is full of confidence. "I believe that through all these efforts, we will ensure convenient transport services during the Games," he said.

 

(China Daily August 7, 2006)