Cyclists ride past a traditional Chinese gateway during a day murky from fog and pollution in Beijing, China, in this Oct. 26, 2007 file photo. Beijing, one of the world's most polluted cities, officials will halt construction, close heavy industries and even stop spray painting in order to clean the city's air before the Aug. 8, 2008, Summer Olympics begin. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
The measures are severe and will be in effect officially for two months — July 20-Sept. 20 — although reports a few months ago suggest some production cutbacks may come even sooner.
Officials also are expected to ban about half of Beijing’s 3.3 million vehicles for the Aug. 8-24 Olympics. Du said specific details would be announced later.
A month ago, pollution looked like the biggest threat to the Olympics, which are supposed to mark the emergence of China as an economic and political power. Since then, deadly riots in Lhasa have triggered worldwide demonstrations by pro-Tibet and human rights groups, threatening the country’s image on a stage it has spent billions to build.