Wang Qishan, mayor of Beijing, indicated on January 13 that the municipality will, centering closely around the objective of "holding a green Olympics and building an eco-city" and complying with the requirement of the back scheduling time limit of various items of work for the 2008 Olympic Games, further strengthen the building of a green eco-screen in the capital, and comprehensively promote a leapfrog development in the afforestation of the capital.

Statistics from the Office of the Capital Afforestation Committee show that last year Beijing completed the work of greening 27,000 hectares of land, planting over 42.3 million trees. By the end of 2003, the coverage of forest trees in Beijing stood at 49.5 percent, the coverage of the city with trees at 41.5 percent, and per-capita share of green land at 45 square meters.

In the opinion of Wang Qishan, the brightest flashpoint of Beijing's greening work last year lies in the establishment of a new greening mechanism. According to Song Xiyou, director of the Office of the Capital Afforestation Committee, this year Beijing will ensure completion on schedule greening construction projects by high standard and with high quality, especially do a good job in planning and building an Olympic forest park and the afforestation of the areas surrounding stadiums and gymnasiums. At the same time, emphasis will be placed on properly greening city roads and the construction of green lands, increasing green lands by 200 hectares and improving 100 hectares of existing green lands. In addition, the municipality will, in the residential quarters, and the courtyards of organizations, enterprises and institutions, launch the activity of greening roofs and places everywhere both horizontally and vertically and beautifying balconies.

In 2005, the coverage of forest trees in Beijing will come to 50 percent, the coverage of the city with trees to 42 percent, and per-capita share of green land to 46 square meters.

By People's Daily Online