by Xinhua writers Yu Maofeng, Gao Fan    

    MOSCOW, May 31 (Xinhua) -- The air quality in Beijing is getting better and better, so is China's political openness, Alexey Efimov, chief editor of the Chinese language Website of Russia's RIA Novosti news agency, says of the changes taking place in China.

    Efimov studied at Peking University for a year in 1991 and came to China again in 2004 as chief correspondent of RIA Novosti's Beijing office until 2008, when he returned to Russia to take the current post.

    "When I arrived in China more than a decade later, I could hardly recognize Beijing," Efimov told Xinhua in a recent interview.

    Many old, shabby houses and outdoor markets had given way to high-rise buildings and alleys replaced by straight and broad streets, he recalled.

    The taxi industry boomed as streets were crammed with Xiali cabs manufactured in Tianjin, he said with a grin.

    Beijing was firmly committed to international environmental standards in its preparations for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Efimov said, noting that the Beijing-based Capital Iron and Steel Company was moved out of the metropolis.

    As green areas expand and sandstorms weaken year by year, Beijing's air is becoming fresher and more blue-sky days are recorded, he said.

    There is also another kind of "clear air," said the chief editor, who covered China's major political events when he was chief correspondent in Beijing, including the "two sessions" from 2005 to 2007. The "two sessions" refer to the annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

    Efimov said he could feel the political transparency and openness during the sessions, and the delegates were happy to talk to media to make their voices heard by the world.

    Efimov has also been to other cities in China, such as Shanghai, Harbin, Lianyungang and Guilin. Wherever he went, he was always impressed by local residents' friendliness and hospitality.

    "China's most precious resource is its people," Efimov said, "They speak different dialects and eat food with different flavors, and everyone is working hard for a better future."

China sees fewer sandy days this spring

    BEIJING, May 30 (Xinhua) -- China had seen fewer sandy days this spring, as cold air was weak and the country's environmental protection measures began to pay off, according to China Meteorological Administration (CMA).

    From March to May, which had been the country's windy season in normal years, China only had six sandy and dusty days, compared with previous annual average of 14 days, said Yang Yuanqin, a senior engineer with CMA.  Full story

Beijing reports 80% "blue sky days" in first quarter

    BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Beijing saw 73 "blue sky days", 81.1 percent of the total, in the first three months of 2009, Beijing authorities said here on Tuesday.

    The city experienced six more blue sky days than in the first quarter of last year, and 24.3 days more than the average of the last decade, said an official of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.  Full story

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