AmCham-China Daily

The official rules are just in from China Daily and Xinhua: 

Spectators will not be allowed to take banners, musical instruments and soft drink containers into Olympic venues, according to a set of rules released Monday.

The Olympic venue rules, promulgated by BOCOG, 25 days ahead of the Games, advise spectators not to bring into the venues support banners or leaflets of commercial publicity, religion, politics, military, human rights or environmental and animal protection.

Huang Keying, a BOCOG official, said the rules, including 22 restrictions and four prohibitions, are completely in line with the Olympic Charter.

Each spectator is subject to the rules aimed at maintaining security and order of the venue,” he said.

Li Yong, a BOCOG volunteer, told the Xinhua News Agency people with banners will be stopped at the entrance security check.

Earlier last month, 800,000 Chinese volunteers began practicing routines to cheer on athletes - both Chinese and foreign - at the Games.

They were trained to do a four-step cheer in uniform sportswear, with easy-to-learn slogans.

These volunteers are required to stand up when national anthems are played and to remove trash at the end of an event.

The rules also ban taking photos with a flash, drunkenness, nudity and gambling, as well as whistles, long umbrellas, cigarette lighters, cameras and radios at venues.

Animals, except guide dogs, are not allowed in the venues.

Zhang Zhenliang, director of the Games’ inquiry center, said spectator rules were always one of the most difficult parts of the Games preparation as they must ensure an orderly, happy and harmonious environment.
The rule books have been delivered to spectators along with tickets. Overseas spectators can check the rules online or dial “12308″.
Zhang said the inquiry center is open daily from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

Many overseas spectators have inquired about whether they can bring babies into the opening or closing ceremony venue.” It is not advised.

Li Bingshuang, a office worker, has tickets for the beach volleyball and rhythmic gymnastics events. She carefully read the rules book attached to the tickets.

“I know little about rules, but I’m sure I should clap after athletes completed their routines,” she said. Zhang said the restrictions and prohibitions were roughly the same as those of the Athens and Sydney Games. The “spectator version” of the rules book features a simple and vivid language. Huang said the Beijing Olympic venue rules are different from those of the previous Games as the national situation and local habits are different.

Beijing people like to use a parasol to block out the sunshine. But we have to remind people not to open umbrellas in the seating areas so as not to block others’ view,” she said, adding collapsible umbrellas were acceptable for being taken into venues.

Posted by Adam Steinberg, AmCham Olympic Forum co-chair.

This report comes from a friend of the chamber.  

On the round trip return from Tianjin this morning, a colleague and I were stopped at a routine police checkpoint getting back on the old Tianjin highway to return to Beijing. The police asked for passports, which we have never carried internally in China unless flying.

A US driver’s license and my complex’s residence were card not sufficient. Even though they could see us in their computer system (including passports, photos and residence permits), they required actual faxes of the passports and residence permits before they would let us pass. Luckily someone was at home and was able to fax my colleague her the passport/residence permit quickly. They finally let us go without requiring my secretary to go to the office to fax mine. Lesson for everyone is it is best for westerners to keep our passports/residence permits on our persons at all times, at least through September.

There are many more stories like this being told this summer in the capital city. Got one to share?

I hope this resourceful group can help me.  If you have tickets for sale to Olympic swimming events, we would be grateful for an opportunity to buy them.  

Please mail me at judykarp@amcham-china.org.cn with any leads you may have.

One of our member companies sent the following advisory to its foreign employees in China.  AmCham has not independently verified the information, but we wanted to make it available for general information.

 Please be advised that due to the impending Olympic Games the The Ministry of Public Security in China (PSB) has advised that the existing regulations for the completion of the Registration Form of Temporary Residence in China must be strictly adhered.  The steps required to complete the process will vary from city to city and will also vary depending on type of accommodation utilized.  Whilst the maximum penalty imposed for failing to register is currently RMB 5,000, an official may elect to impose a higher penalty if there are subsequent instances of non compliance.
Effective immediately and until further notice, all foreigners residing in private housing must register at the nearest Police station within 24 hours after arrival back to China every time they have been traveling outside China.  If the registration is not undertaken, both the management company/landlord and foreigner can be fined RMB 5,000.

It is important to note that this rule applies to any foreign person living in any apartment or private dwelling - even if it is for just for one night. And we understand the Ba Li Zhuang, Pan Jia Yuan and San Yuan Li PSB are the 3 local PSB in Beijing that are extremely strict in implementation of this rule. We would like to advise that should your resident falls under the coverage of this 3 PSB, you must ensure you are 100% in compliance. If staying overnight or visiting friends in China, registration must be carried out upon arrival with the local PSB office responsible for the area within 24 hours of arrival.

You will need to supply your passport and evidence of visa when presenting at the PSB office.  In most locations registration can be undertaken at the local Police Station.  For questions on what documents to submit &/or bring to your local police station, please inquire with your housing agent or landlord, as this can vary by district.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What documents are required for presentation or is it only passport and visa?
A:  The following documents should be taken when registering:

Original passport plus a copy of the passport ID page
One passport-style photo (not always requested)
Lease Agreement (original can be requested)
Landlord National ID Card and contact details
Ownership certificate and tax payment receipts (not always requested)

Q: Will all PBS offices or police stations have someone who speaks English?
A:  No.  In most cases there will not be an officer who is able to communicate in English.

Q: Does the employee have to register in person or can it be done by spouse/partner, agent, driver?
A personal appearance is not usually required by either the PSB or local Police Station.

Q: If in person, is it every visa holder including children under 18 years?
In cases where personal appearance is required, only one adult needs to attend (i.e. either the assignee or spouse / partner).

Q:  Do I need to register if I am staying in a hotel or serviced apartment?
A:  Guests must be registered upon arrival with the PSB by the hotel and if separate, the serviced apartment management company.  Usually this procedure is automatic with input from the hotel being directly fed into the local PSB computer at the check-in procedure, with no additional action being required from the guest. However, daily checks are now in operation and the PSB physically visits hotels to request copies of the hotels’ in-house guest lists to make sure they match the PSB’s own records. If they do not, the hotel / serviced apartment will be fined RMB5,000 per missing entry. Hotel guests under these circumstances would not be fined. However it does mean that foreigners wishing to stay at a hotel in China must provide full passport and visa credentials in order to check in.  

Has your employeer issued anything similiar? Will you be or are you personally in compliance with these regulations?

He’s still “lovin’ it” in translation, and is simple and direct with the party too, according to Gregory Gilligan, McDonald’s government man in China, in this bizCult Powwow podcast. Produced with bizCult.com at this AmCham-China Young Professionals Brown Bag Lunch.

New York Times reporter Jim Yardley has recently published a piece about additional measures being taken to ensure that there’s nothing but blue-sky days starting August 8.

BEIJING: With Beijing struggling to clear polluted skies before the Olympics in August, the nearby industrial port of Tianjin has ordered 40 factories to suspend some operations for two months as part of a broader effort to improve air quality during the Games, the state media reported.

The planned shutdowns in Tianjin, about 110 kilometers, or 68 miles, southeast of Beijing, are one piece of a regional plan that is expected to bring temporary factory closures or slowdowns across a large swath of northern China during the Games.

As yet, few details are known about exactly which factories might close, or when, so the announcement in Tianjin offers a window into one aspect of the plan.

Beijing’s air quality remains a major concern for the Games as the city continues to struggle with pollution, despite a $20 billion government cleanup campaign. Beijing is also a victim of its neighborhood: pollution blows in from surrounding regions, which are dotted with coal mines, coal-fired power plants, steel mills, cement factories and other clusters of heavy industry.

The Olympic opening ceremony is Aug. 8, and meteorologists have said that officials must begin closing factories a few weeks in advance to make a difference. The suspensions in Tianjin will begin on July 25 and continue until Sept. 30, after the conclusion of the Paralympics in Beijing, according to Xinhua, the country’s official news agency.

Tianjin is one site for the Olympic soccer competition, and work at 26 construction sites near the city’s Olympic stadium will be suspended.

Meanwhile, one of the busiest steel centers in China is ordering 267 firms to shut down operations by July 8, according to Reuters, which cited people in government and industry.

The city of Tangshan, about 150 kilometers from Beijing, is closing 66 smaller steel mills, coking operations, cement factories and smaller power generators, the report said. The companies could reopen only on an unspecified date after undergoing an environmental review.

In recent days, rainfall in Beijing has been unusually heavy. When it has not rained, the skies have been clotted with haze. But the weather Sunday brought good news: the first truly blue skies in Beijing in many days.

The city will begin alternate-day driving restrictions on July 20 to ease traffic and reduce pollution. By then, experts say, more temporary factory shutdowns are expected to be announced elsewhere in the region.

Posted by Adam Steinberg Olympic Forum co-chair

Xinhua has released the long-awaited details on the traffic restrictions to be put into place in advance of the Summer Games.

Beijing is to ban vehicles with even and odd-numbered license plates on alternate days from July 20 to Sept. 20 to help improve air quality for the Olympic Games, the city has announced. Exceptions to the restrictions will include taxis, buses and emergency vehicles, said a statement on the website (www.bjjtwgov.cn) of the Beijing Municipal Committee of Communications.

The statement said the intention of the restrictions was to improve traffic flows and air quality during the Olympics and Paralympics, and to fulfill Beijing’s commitment to host a “green Olympics.” In the statement, the municipal government said the measure would be enforced throughout the city until August 28, but only in areas within the Fifth Ring Road and three freeways connecting downtown Beijing to the airport, Badaling and Chengde from August 28 to Sep. 20.

The municipal government is also to ban all motor vehicles that fail to meet the European No.1 standard for exhaust emissions as well as trucks registered outside Beijing without special permits from July 1. It is believed the temporary traffic controls will leave 70 percent of cars owned by government departments and institutions in the city in the garage.

To compensate motorists for the restrictions, all vehicle owners will be exempted from taxes and road maintenance fees for three months, costing the government 1.3 billion yuan (186 million U.S. dollars). During a test of the controls from August 17 to 20 last year, about 1.3 million vehicles were taken off the city roads each day and the emissions discharged were cut by 5,815 tons, according to a report by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Environmental Protection.

Posted by Adam Steinberg Olympic Forum co-chair

During last month’s Washington, DC policy advocacy trip, AmCham-China members met with former Pennsylvania Governor and former Homeland Security Director, and current McCain campaign national co-chair Tom Ridge. For Ridge Global LLC’s website:

The delegation, whose participants met with Capitol Hill legislators, think tanks and trade groups, sat down with Ridge Global’s chief executive to discuss the challenges and opportunities of export controls, trade security, VISA issues and other matters facing American industry in an increasingly interdependent global economy.

“America’s security and prosperity is tied to the security and prosperity of the rest of the world,” said Secretary Ridge following the event. “To remain a leader in the competitive economy, we must advance the co-mingling of ideas, innovation, collaboration and ongoing friendship with our friends and allies.”

During the annual event, which follows the release of the White Paper, an AmCham delgation meets with top US decision makers from both parties to help improve US-China economic policy.

Quality lodgings in Beijing during the August Olympic Games may become a hot commodity.  Yet an AmCham-China member company tells us they have a number of rooms available during that time at a 5-star hotel with excellent facilities and grounds.  The hotel, the Loong Palace Hotel & Resort (www.loongpalace.com), is located about 15 minutes from the Olympic Park.  Rooms are available at a variety of prices and types, including standard, one- and two-bedroom duplexes and suites. Block bookings from August 7 to August 25 are preferred.

If you or your company are interested, please contact Michelle for details, prices, exact availability, etc.  Reach her via email at michelle0711@gmail.com

Russ Miller, chairman and CEO of Beijing-based Performance Institute, has something really interesting to say about hiring and retaining good employees: It’s not a problem so long as you have really excellent leadership in your company.

In the latest bizCult.com Powwow podcast produced at the AmCham-China Young Professionals Brown Bag Lunch Speaker Series, Mr. Miller outlined why effective leadership is so important in this regard.