London Mayor Ken Livingstone said he was very impressed by the speed and progress made by Beijing in its preparations for the 2008 Summer Olympics, pledging to build an increasingly close and warm relationship between the two cities. London is hosting the Summer Games in 2012.
The mayor also volunteered to teach the Chinese how to regulate traffic better, as it has been London’s biggest success over the last five years.
He said, “we have had a very good experience in London with the congestion charge. It has persuaded four per cent of Londoners to use public transportation instead of their cars”, adding that carbon pollution has also seen a significant reduction.
Livingstone said, “we want to build very strong links between London and Beijing”.
The Mayor and his Beijing counterpart Wang Qishan signed a partnership agreement Monday to cooperate in the run up to the Olympic Games.
In the spirit of cooperation Livingstone opened a new London office in Beijing Tuesday. The London Economic, Development and Inward Investment office is the first the city has established abroad to boost trade, investment and social exchanges. The Mayor said the office is aimed to promote the exchanges in commerce, trade and tourism. He said the two cities could learn much from each other, especially in staging the Olympic Games.
Meanwhile Beijing 2008 organizers said Tuesday that the Olympic Games will lift Beijing’s cooperation with London to a new level.
Liu Qi, President of the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2008 Games said, “Beijing and London had traditional friendship and the Olympics has offered a good opportunity for the cooperation between the two cities”.
