Beijing improves environment for 2014 APEC

Beijing will make great efforts to improve its environmental quality for the 2014 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting to be held in the city's Huairou District in autumn, according to a work plan on the capital city's urban environmental construction released on February 14, Chinanews.com reported.

Under these plans, Beijing will take steps to curb air pollution in the city, as well as in Huairou. The district plans to cut coal usage by 250,000 tons and develop its Yanqi Lake Eco-Development Demonstration Zone into a zone that bans the burning of highly-polluting fuels.

The plan says the city will advocate green travelling during the APEC summit and implement restrictions on vehicles. It will also carry out strict supervision on vehicles registered other than in Beijing. Contingency plans will be launched to mitigate air pollution under adverse weather conditions.

"Beijing will clean up the city and ensure good air quality for the meeting through strict law enforcement and collaborative emergency response measures, based on the experiences of the 2008 Beijing Olympics," Zhang Gong, the city's vice mayor, said at a meeting to mobilize initiatives in ecological progress and urban-rural environmental construction held on that day.

Effective rectification measures will be taken to ensure a clean and orderly environment at the APEC venues and across the relevant areas, especially in the Tian'anmen area, Zhang Yankun, the city's vice mayor said.

Zhang Yankun said, "Beijing will carry out comprehensive campaigns to foster a clean, beautiful and harmonious environment for the APEC meeting, as well as for the 65th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China."

Zhang also stressed, "The city will implement round-the-clock strict supervision to combat environment-related illegal activities during the meeting, with the joint efforts of the urban administration, public security and traffic management authorities."

The city will tackle all prominent environment problems related to illegal buildings, untouched corners, waste disposal, illegal operations and outdoor advertising, according to Zhang, who said that landscaping efforts will also be made to beautify the city.

The 2014 APEC will be held at Yanqi Lake, a picturesque scenic spot about 50 kilometers northeast from downtown Beijing.