China Closes Factories for Clean Air at Olympics

BEIJING, China – The Chinese government is announcing drastic measures to avoid air pollution during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 19 heavy-polluting industries have been asked to cut emissions by a further 30% and others will be closed down completely. It is said the steel mills based near Beijing are involved.

The consequences for the bicycle industry which is already struggling with increasing lead times are not yet clear. But, a decrease in production capacity for some months will certainly bring about further extensions in lead times and drive up prices.

The production suspension at the 19 heavy-polluting industries, along with other initiatives, will be effective from July 20 to September 20, 2008 and aims to ensure better air quality during the Games, said Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the Beijing environment protection bureau. “We will not back away from even more drastic measures if these initiatives will not lead to an improvement of the air quality in Beijing.”

Five provinces and municipalities surrounding Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi and Shandong provinces and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, will join the efforts to ensure good air quality in the capital. They will announce more detailed plans soon.