Steel firm may help Olympics
9/3/2005 8:29
The president of a Beijing-based steel firm said yesterday his company may
reduce or suspend production during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games to curb
pollution.
"We'll take substantial measures, including production slowdown
and suspension, to reduce pollution if we are unable to move all the polluting
plants by the time the Olympics open," said Zhu Jimin, president of Beijing
Shougang Group, one of China's largest steel and iron makers.
The central
government approved a plan for Beijing Shougang Group to relocate its factories
to neighboring Hebei Province by 2010.
Zhu, also a deputy to the National
People's Congress, told the delegation of lawmakers that his steel company has a
major role to play in cleaning and purifying Beijing's air.
"We'll seek
technological advancement this year to further stem pollution in the
desulfurization process," he said.
Founded in 1919, Shougang was regularly
cited as the flagship of Chinese industry. But in the past decade, its name was
tarnished and is more closely associated with air pollution.
According to
sources from the Beijing Environmental Protection Monitor Center, air quality in
the capital has improved in recent years. Last year, 62.5 percent of the days
were ranked "fine" or "fairly good" with pollution readings below 100. But in
Shijingshan District where Shougang is located it was only 50.4
percent.
Environmental experts fear Beijing's air quality will not meet the
standard the government promised in its effort to host the 2008 Olympics unless
Shougang is moved out of the city.
(Xinhua)
Xinhua
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