BEIJING, China (AP) -- Beijing will use the strictest standards to control emissions and curb pollution for the Summer Olympics but it will be an uphill task, the host city's mayor was quoted as saying Sunday.
Guo Jinlong vowed to finish preparations for the August 8-24 Games and provide services in "high-level and high-caliber ways," the official Xinhua News Agency cited him as saying.
That meant dealing with crippling gridlock and widespread pollution that have been major concerns, he said. So far, Beijing has begun shutting down blast furnaces in the city's biggest steel company to improve air quality.
It is expected to enact temporary traffic restrictions to ease bumper-to-bumper traffic and help reduce vehicle exhaust that creates the gray haze that often blankets the capital.
Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, told CNN last August that poor air quality could potentially lead to the postponement of certain competitions, such as track and field events.