The FT reports:

China has no plans to order factories in and around Beijing to suspend operations during next year's Olympic Games, despite widespread concerns about the effect of air pollution on athletes.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Liu Qi, Beijing Communist party chief and head of the Olympic organising committee, waved aside worries that bad air could mar a sporting event in which the government has invested enormous political capital.

“We are completely confident that Olympic athletes will be able to take part in their competitions normally next August,” said Mr Liu, who is the capital's most powerful official.

With analysts reporting that concentrations of fine particulates and ozone often hit unsafe levels in Beijing in summer, it had been widely assumed that China would order some companies in the city and nearby provinces to close or reduce production during the event.

However, Mr Liu said that while regional governments were co-operating with efforts to combat air pollution, their focus was on implementing existing environmental rules rather than on temporary measures.

To read more:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/883b0df8-655c-11dc-bf89-0000779fd2ac,dwp_uuid=9c33700c-4c86-11da-89df-0000779e2340.html