Blanket security as Communist Party kicks off congress
Reporters line up for hours for print copy of president’s speech even as online copy made available
Grey skies hung over the Chinese capital on Wednesday morning as delegates headed into the Great Hall of the People for the start of the Communist Party’s national congress.
Persistent rain put a chill through the city but also achieved what month-long restrictions on manufacturing and vehicles had failed to do – it dispersed smog and raised air quality to “healthy levels”.
Despite limits on traffic and shutdowns to factories and non-essential construction, pollution continued to hover over Beijing in the days leading up to the congress.
But the clearer air might soon come to an end with Beijing weather authorities issuing a “heavy fog” warning on Wednesday afternoon. Authorities warned that visibility was expected to drop to less than 1km and the poor conditions would continue until Thursday morning.
Outside the Great Hall, security was more complex than usual, with sensors in the venue’s plaza automatically detecting passes and displaying the names of the people walking past – and that was before reaching the official security checks. Permits were also checked manually roughly every 200 metres by impassive guards.