Liu Youbin, a spokesman of China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), stated on on January 24 that local governments in Beijing and Hebei Province will be authorized to temporarily assume administrative control of enterprises and vehicles with heavy pollution, high emissions and a relatively small economic impact, in order to ensure good environmental conditions for the Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games.
The Games are taking place in the period between winter and spring in northern China when environmental and meteorological conditions are extremely unfavorable.