Beijing looking for help in curbing air pollution during Olympics

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Beijing is ordering neighboring provinces to reduce industrial pollution this summer to help clean up the Chinese capital's air during the Olympic Games, state media reported Tuesday. Beijing and surrounding areas are being told to cut back factory operations and increase the use of technology to clean their emissions, the China Daily newspaper said. It said authorities were hoping to avoid shutting down industries altogether in order to temper the economic impact. The full extent of pollution control measures, however, would depend on atmospheric conditions during the Aug. 8-24 Games, it said. "The air quality of Beijing is definitely influenced by neighboring provinces and ... we have made this move to guarantee air quality," State Environmental Protection Agency official Wang Jian was quoted as saying by the paper.