China 'guarantees' safe Games despite terror threat

Wednesday 06th August, 06:32 AM JST

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7 Comments

USAPatriot at 08:09 AM JST - 6th August

Maybe you can stop terrorists, but how about the regimes thugs terrorising media and visitors? Tee Hee!
Betzee at 10:34 AM JST - 6th August

“I was up here last September and the smog was a lot worse then,” said Drysdale. “They’ve done a good job clearing it up.”

This is exactly the type of reaction they are hoping for; in fact the improvement is due to short-term "sweep it under the carpet" solutions to improve air quality for the games. Driving private autos in the capital city has been severely restricted and polluting factories have suspended operations to enable the workers to enjoy a unpaid summer holiday.
Terrikus at 12:18 PM JST - 6th August

This is exactly the type of reaction they are hoping for; in fact the improvement is due to short-term "sweep it under the carpet" solutions to improve air quality for the games

Yes, but I don't think they ever pretended otherwise. Infact they made a big deal out of their short term plans for air quality improvement.
Betzee at 12:30 PM JST - 6th August

Yes, but I don't think they ever pretended otherwise. In fact they made a big deal out of their short term plans for air quality improvement.

The Chinese government is much more tolerant of environmental activists than those of any other stripe. But they, like every government, confront a trade-off between improving environmental (as well as labor) standards and losing jobs. They pretty much come down on the side of the latter.

They've put the screws to provincial officials telling them if anybody from their locality causes problems in Beijing during the Olympics, they will have to answer for it. This has created a new line of work, known to us as bounty hunters, who have an economic incentive make sure migrant laborers go back to where they came from (until the games are over).
PepinGalarga at 02:04 PM JST - 6th August

i always have more breathing problems in tokyo than anywhere in China. in japan, trash burning releases dioxins which every once in a while reach dangerous levels. up until a few years ago there were dangerous acid rains in the US from coal plants.

china may have 16 of the dirtiest 20 cities on earth, but those 16 cities make practically everything you own. what are you all going to do about that!?!
usaexpat at 11:33 PM JST - 6th August

I'm no fan of the PRC but you can bet the games will be safe much as they would be in any authoritarian country.
rajakumar at 01:30 AM JST - 7th August

Games will be as safe, as the games in Seoul, in 1988.