During the Olympics what you most earnestly desire, what you pray for, is to avoid a terrorist incident. Much work goes on behind the scenes to prevent this.

Now Beijing’s international airport is installing high-tech portable bomb detectors as part of its security plan to combat terrorism ahead of the Summer Olympics.

Zhang Zhi, deputy director general of the airport police, said the new detectors will be able to warn of explosives in a few seconds.

He said airport police have already been equipped with X-ray machines, anti-riot robots, and some bomb detection and disposal devices — ‘But we need more and faster bomb detectors for the Games.’

Zhang Zhi said other measures will include setting up a security zone to prevent anyone from taking shots at aircraft as they take off and land. Traffic checkpoints will be set up around the airport. In addition, background checks are being conducted on all airport employees.

China believes terrorism is the biggest threat facing this summer’s Olympic Games and has called for closer international cooperation to prevent possible attacks.

China’s generally secretive police agencies have sought advice on Olympic security from the U.S., Germany, Israel and other foreign governments.

FBI head Robert Mueller said during a visit earlier this year that China’s security preparations for the Olympics were impressive and that his agency was lending its expertise on fending off possible terrorist attacks.
Source: AP

Sticking my neck right out I will say the Olympics in Beijing, unless there is an incident of atomic bomb proportions, will be a major success. And China will move on from there.

Yes, there will be protests by all sorts of people who will either have genuine or nutty reasons to protest. (Show me the government that does NOT need to be protested about.) But, barring a massive and catastrophic event which we should pray does not happen and probably will not, the Olympics in Beijing will be a great success and the coming out party of China.

The reason is that China has made the most serious efforts to get it right. Seriously right.

If you can get the Beijing police to smile you have worked a miracle. But it has gone further than that. They have been taught the rudiments of some languages and will smile at you — not easy and they probably finds it hurts — and say ‘hello’.

They have a handbook containing useful phrases in seven languages — including English, French, Russian, German, Japanese, Korean and Arabic. Not only are the police equipped with it but so are all the state-approved volunteers who will assist security service forces.

Ma Zhenchuan, the city’s police chief, said the educational campaigns will help the force offer ‘cordial, civilized, professional and high-quality’ security (that the idea of cordial security is an oxymoron should be ignored) throughout the games.

Earlier this year, Beijing police conducted a month-long survey to find out what the public found most unbearable about the force.

The results weren’t encouraging as people complained about cops using phrases such as: ‘Are you deaf?’ to ‘That’s not my business,’ or ‘I’ll put you behind bars if you continue to make a fuss like this.’ The public also voiced discontent over some officers’ arrogance and their misuse of police vehicles and sirens.

So now the Beijing Public Security Bureau has been reformed and will smile — not easy but they can do it — and will not be rude to you. That is a miracle. Making the rest of the Olympics work is, by comparison, a doddle. The Games will be a great success. Of that I am quite, quite certain. And China will bask in the sunshine of the Olympic smile.
Source: Shanghai Daily

Beijing has done its utmost to provide a good image to the citizens of the world who will be attending the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games this August. Yes, there have been articles against China and against Beijing and against the government but these are starting to subside as the reality of the preparation of the games becomes apparent.

Beijing is deploying about 80 sniffer dogs to patrol the subway system to sniff out flammable products such as fireworks. Xinhua quotes police officer Wang Ning as saying, ‘the security patrol ahead of the festival will be good practice for the police dogs ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games later this year’. Eight dogs have already started patrolling five downtown stations.
A special monitoring centre for food safety will be set up for the Games. Zhang Zhikuan, head of the Beijing Municipal Bureau for Industry and Commerce said the Olympic Food Safety Command Center will issue warnings of food risks and deal with food related emergencies. Food to be provided for the Games will be classified into 345 items under 10 categories, with each item checked against specific technical standards.
Beijing has started enforcing a stricter auto fuel standard to help further reduce pollution. Gasoline and diesel sold in Beijing must meet the China IV standards equivalent to the European Union’s Euro IV requirements. Beijing introduced China III fuel standards at the end of 2005 which cut emissions by 2,480 metric tons annually, and the latest benchmark is intended to cut annual emissions by a further 1,840 tons.
Nearly every policeman, from new graduates to those close to retirement, is studying foreign languages and ‘refined’ manners hoping to polish the city’s image. A handbook containing useful phrases in seven languages — English, French, Russian, German, Japanese, Korean and Arabic — has been given to all police and state-approved volunteers who will assist security service forces at the Games.
Beijing police has launched a campaign to eradicate illegal activities in Tiananmen Square and along the Chang’an Avenue ahead of the Games. Beggars, unlicensed peddlers, those distributing flyers, and illegal motorcycle and tricycle taxi riders will be fined, detained, or have their equipment confiscated.

Source: Games Bids

The Chicago Tribune has published a full and well research summary of the importance of the Olympic Games.

It asks when was the last time that China was as confident, prosperous and engaged with the world as it is likely to be at the 2008 Beijing Olympics?

And the answer comes from Wang Xiaofu, a history professor at Beijing University — ‘About 1,300 years ago.’

The article sees the potential. But also sees the potential risks.

The games are hotly anticipated among ordinary Chinese who, by and large, see it as a collective triumph — a rare cause for unity in a nation divided by class, ethnicity and opportunity.

But with 20,000 foreign journalists expected to be on hand, critics at home and abroad are also getting ready to use the occasion as a chance to amplify pressure on China and, at the same time express their dismay and, perhaps, jealousy at China’s success.

Organizers face a dilemma: Clamp down too hard on protesters, and images will be beamed around the world showing foreign guests crushed by a one-party state. But let rallies grow too far on sacred political ground such as Tiananmen Square, and authorities risk emboldening wider unrest.

In particular, the government will have to rely on street cops to differentiate between peaceful protesters and security threats.

Jia Qingguo, vice dean of the Beijing University School of International Studies said, ‘A lot of tough security measures are being developed to combat terrorism, and these people run the risk of being considered terrorists.’

Read the full and well researched article by clicking on source.
Source: Chicago Tribune

Beijing has claimed a marked drop in crime so far this year with police saying the fall sets a solid foundation for a safe Olympic Games.

In the first 10 months of 2007, Beijing police detained over 43,000 criminal suspects, an increase of 12% on the same period last year. The report said new crime cases fell by 2.7% over the same period, but did not give details.

Beijing crime detection officer Li Yuejie said, ‘The improved public security is a good foundation and necessary prelude for next year’s Olympics.’

Although much of China is relatively lightly covered by police, the capital is well supplied, especially at sensitive events such as Communist Party meetings.

Security will be even tighter during next year’s Olympic Games.

Beijing’s police chief said in September that some 80,000 guards including police officers and state-approved volunteers, would help security service forces at the Olympics.