China's 40-billion-dollar welcome mat is almost in place as Beijing prepares to woo the world, barring unwelcome guests to the Olympic Games in August.
In the lead-up to Friday's six-month countdown, the country's rulers called for a final push for the success of an event seen as a chance to trumpet China's transformation from poverty to economic powerhouse within a generation.
"Time is running out... work is getting urgent. The whole party and society must mobilise further," said a statement from the ruling Communist Party's politburo.
Beggars, street peddlers, prostitutes and other undesirables are disappearing from streets on government orders to clean up the city's image, while domestic critics are being silenced in a "strike-hard" policy against opposition.
Newspapers are also reportedly banned from printing negative stories on the Games.
The detention of AIDS activist and civil rights defender Hu Jia, 34, in December, indicates that China is determined to stamp out any political dissent ahead of the Olympics.
Pressure on issues such as Darfur, Taiwan, Tibet and human rights is doomed to fail, it said.
Source: DDNEWS
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