Beijing is ready for the Games

The 29th Olympic Games open in Beijing at 8 p.m., on August 8, 2008. With the slogan One World, One Dream, it shall signify a joyful and historic moment not only for the 1.3 billion Chinese people but also for people all over the world. Through their great enthusiasm and devotion, the Chinese people will allow the world to discover the unique features they have worked on for so long.

Firstly: the huge scale of the Games. Following a record spending of about $43 billion, Beijing has taken on a brand new look. With its innovative National Aquatics Centre known as the Water Cube and the landmark National Stadium, called Bird's Nest fully operational, China is signalling its readiness of all 37 venues for the Games.

Three major media services will cater for the biggest media contingent ever: 21,600 accredited journalists and another 10,000 unaccredited reporters.

China will field its largest Olympic team ever, about 570 athletes contesting 28 sports, to the six host cities, again the biggest number of cities hosting the Games.

Altogether, the Beijing Games will welcome about 100 dignitaries and over 10,000 athletes from all over the world, including the Clyde Puli, the Parliamentary Secretary for Youth and Sports, and six excellent athletes from Malta. There will be an estimated record four billion people watching the Games and a 500,000-strong army of volunteers helping visitors, including 100,000 at sports venues.

Secondly: the massive clear-sky campaign. Over the past decade, Beijing has made air quality a priority and invested billions of US dollars in its effort.

Afforested land has increased by 10,000 hectares and meadowland by 4,653 hectares between 2001 and 2007. Measures, such as the closure and removal of small polluting factories, and the transformation of residential heating from coal to gas and electricity among other measures, were taken.

Already the number of "blue-sky" days in the city - an indicator of air quality - went up to 246 last year from 100 in1998.

The latest move consisted in taking 210,000 vehicles, half those owned by the government, and 300,000 high-emission cars off Beijing roads. And, from last Monday, private cars started running on alternate days, depending on whether their number plates end in odd or even numbers. IOC president Jacques Rogge said recently: "We are confident that atmospheric pollution will have no major impact on the Olympic Games".

Thirdly: the Beijing largest transport system expansion. Further to the opening of the world largest Terminal 3 in February, a new terminal building for Olympic charter flights opened this month.

This allows the airport to receive about 5.56 million people during the Games.

Meanwhile, subway lines 5, 10, the Olympic line and a 28-kilometre-long light rail, linking downtown Beijing with the airport, will be in operation soon. It will only take 16 minutes to travel from downtown to the airport by light rail compared to the current one-hour trip by road. Also, 34 special bus routes linking Games venues will operate during the event and they'll be free to Olympic tickets holders.

Beijing is on the right track for a smooth Olympics.

Fourthly: a unique challenge and active response. This year has also seen China being hit by a massive earthquake that killed nearly 70,000 people and left five million homeless. Earlier, a riot in China-Tibet led to the death of 18 innocent civilians. And then, the Olympic torch relay experienced deliberate disruption by the Tibetan separatists and anti-China forces. They have even threatened to hijack the Olympics in an effort to politicise the Games and split China. All these misfortunes, however, have in no way dampened China's enthusiasm to turn what it has promised into reality.

To ensure safe Olympic Games, China is raising security to unprecedented levels. An anti-terrorist force of almost 100,000 commandos, police officers and army troops has been put on high alert. Over 290,000 volunteers are patrolling the city. China has been cooperating closely with other nations and international organisations.

Lastly but not least: some odds and ends. In homage to the Olympic Games, the whole of China is warming up with a "baby Olympic". A total of 4,104 Chinese have been named Aoyun (Chinese for "the Olympics"). Also a "wedding Olympic" trend is booming with an estimated 15,000 couples getting married in Beijing on the opening day of the Olympics.

Additionally, about 400 million young people nationwide have received Olympic lessons and five million residents are now practising English in Beijing, driven by their enthusiasm for the Olympics.

With the lowest ticket prices ever offered for an Olympic event, as low as $4, and $0.6 for students, it is no exaggeration to say that the whole nation is indeed smiling and dancing to the rhythm of the Olympic Games.

Beijing is ready. Let's wish the 2008 Olympics a great success and the participating Maltese contingent an outstanding performance.

The author is the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Malta.