An ice sculpture promoting Beijing's bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The Chinese capital is aiming to become the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. (Photo : China Daily)
The spokesman of China’s prime political advisory body said on Monday that Beijing’s bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics could be a catalyst in addressing the country’s air pollution concerns.
In a Xinhua news report, Lyu Xinhua, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference's spokesman for its annual session, stated in a press conference that the said environmental concern could be one of the bid's weak spots.
In the media gathering, which was held a day prior to the body's annual session, Lyu also stressed that traffic congestion is an added weak point of the city's bid.
The China capital and its co-host Zhangjiakou have been optimistic that they have competitive edges against their lone competitor, Kazakhstan's Almaty.
In lieu of the bid, the local government officials of the host cities have been gearing up in solving the air pollution problems.
Lyu is positive that such acceleration in the pollution control campaign will not be only beneficial to the hundred-million residents of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Province, but it will also set a good example to other Chinese regions.
If the seeding up of air pollution control advocacy via smog-clearing efforts in Beijing succeeds, the city's environment master plan for 2015-2030 could be attained ahead of time. The roadmap's main focus is achieving clean air.
The Winter Olympic bid has earlier earned the support of other national government officials and the majority of the Chinese populace.
In 2008, China, through Beijing, successfully staged the international sporting event's summer edition.
