The frantic construction in Beijing won't stop, not even for the 2008 Olympic Games.
Beijing Olympic officials acknowledged yesterday that the city's many non-Games construction projects will continue during the 16-day Olympics despite fears they might add to choking air pollution and further clog the city's car-jammed highways.
Sui Zhenjiang (
PHOTO: AFP
"However, before the Olympics or during the process of the Olympics, we will conduct strict management on the air quality of Beijing," Sui said.
He did not elaborate.
Beijing's skyline is dotted with thousands of construction cranes, and Olympic building is just a small slice of the city's makeover. On the street, trucks pour concrete around the clock as China's booming economy helps fund a massive architectural makeover for the capital.
Officials said they expected nearly all the Olympic venues to be completed before the end of this year, with more than 20 test events set for later this year on many of those sites.
Xu Bo (
"Certain construction companies are indeed having problems," Xu said.
"Their actual spending on certain venue construction is beyond their expectations, and we are paying close attention to this issue," he added.
Xu said "risks exist in a market economy, and either the construction company or the contractor ought to do the construction work according to the contract."
Xu said he was confident that the companies selected for the big projects would be able to fulfill their contracts.
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