What to watch for in China
With the start of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games only 9 days away, I’ve compiled a roundup of stories that give some indication of what to watch for as the games begin:
Air pollution: This is undoubtedly the biggest concern leading up to the games, as the dangerous levels of air pollution in Beijing — among the highest in the world — have stoked fears that it will hinder the performance and health of athletes. Despite the fact that China has spent $17 billion on antipollution measures in recent years, growing concerns about smog in recent weeks prompted Chinese authorities to implement strict restrictions on traffic volume and the shutdown of major factories on July 20 in an effort to clear the air.
Officials have used odd-even license plate restrictions — limiting motorists to driving on alternate days, depending on whether the last number on their license plate is odd or even — to reduce daily traffic by two million vehicles, or more than half the city’s total. Production at some factories has also been curtailed in Beijing and outlying areas.
These efforts so far haven’t worked, and authorities are now considering even more extreme restrictions, including taking 90 percent of Beijing’s cars off the road.
The problem is that Beijing’s air pollution problem may not be related to auto traffic volume at all:
Contrary to popular perception both inside and outside China, Beijing’s air pollution problem is not primarily due to increases in personal vehicle use…
An article last year suggested the key component to Beijing’s ozone problem (the stuff that makes your eyes itch, causes shortness of breath and reduces visibility) is actually volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from small factories in neighboring Hebei province. A sniff test suggests that there are plenty of these factories operating in and around Beijing. Many are small (and possibly illegal), and they operate only at night to avoid the scrutiny of environmental inspectors.
Beijing’s other major problem is particulates, which come from several sources. One is construction: Beijing is still rushing to complete non-Olympic buildings before the big day. Another is coal-fired power plants and factory boilers. China’s largest coal-mining province, Shanxi, is directly up wind of Beijing. Shanxi ships much coal to other provinces, but it also has mine-mouth power plants and coking plants that contribute to regional pollution.
Fortunately, the weather is doing its part — rain and winds are helping to clear some of the haze away from the city.
Security concerns - The Olympics are a natural target for a plethora of terrorist groups, from anti-globalization Marxists to radical Islamist militants.
Beijing is concerned about the possibility of terrorist attacks during the games, and have taken extraordinary measures — some describe it as “obsession bordering on paranoia” — including anti-terrorism drills, high-profile arrests of dissidents, and crackdowns against radical groups.
Rural Chinese have been prevented from entering the capital. Migrant workers have been forced to leave. Surveillance cameras have been installed on nearly every street and alley in the city. 110,000 police and special forces soldiers will be patrolling the city, supported by an additional 300,000 volunteers and “neighborhood watch” members — far larger than the security presence at any other Olympic games in history.
The Chinese government has even deployed surface-to-air missiles around Olympic venues such as the Bird’s Nest stadium and Water Cube aquatics center. They are planning to shut down the Beijing airport during the opening ceremony.
Last week, twin bombs struck commuter buses in the city of Kunming, China, killing two people and injuring 14. The Turkistan Islamic Party released a video the next day that took responsibility for the attacks, as well as a bombing in Shanghai in May. The obscure group is a militant Muslim separatist organization based in China’s impoverished far-west region of Xinjiang. The jihadist group also promised more attacks during the games.
Press freedom - The World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC), whose members write at this blog, has been tracking the steadily worsening conditions of press freedom in China in recent months.
Although China had promised to allow foreign journalists to report freely and assured news organizations that journalists would have unrestricted Internet access inside Olympic media centers, it appears that they have failed to live up to that pledge.
Doping scandals: This has been a controversy at nearly every recent games, and China has been one of the worst offenders.
Economic boost: The official People’s Daily newspaper is forecasting $2 billion (US) in direct revenue for the city of Beijing.
Chinese Olympic uniforms: Chinese bloggers have mocked the garish red and yellow design. Sample comments: “It reminds me of the tomato and scrambled eggs dish”; “There can’t be any worse suits.”
**UPDATE: Well that’s quite the downer headline: “Fun may be a casualty of Beijing’s effort for a perfect Olympic games”(LA Times)
The Olympics should be canceled.
Working people are going to be unemployed to support the needs of pampered spoiled brats.
Sports should be put in their proper place in this world and that should be secondary to the needs of working citizens.