The smog still hangs heavy in Beijing, but the Chinese government is determined to clean up its image in advance of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. While some initiatives are more likely to succeed than others - a recently launched national campaign to foster an improvement in manners is probably more likely to succeed with the younger generation - plans to improve the capital city's environment by banishing heavy industries are proceeding apace. The Shougang Group, China's fifth largest steelmaker with crude steel output of 10.4 million tonnes last year, has already closed down 2 million tpy of capacity at its Shijingshan district headquarters on the western edge of Beijing. The group is planning to close another 4 million tpy in the capital by 2008 and the remaining 4 million tpy by 2010.
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