China will spend less on security for the 2008 Olympic Games than other previous host countries but is confident of delivering a secure Games, an official said Wednesday.

 

"Our cost will be controlled below that of other host countries, while also ensuring that the security work proceeds smoothly," Liu Shaowu, head of the security department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG), told a press conference.

 

Greece was forced to spend a record US$1.5 billion on security for the 2004 Games in Athens in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.

 

Liu said relying on domestic providers for surveillance systems and other necessary equipment had helped keep costs low, but China has also drawn on the foreign expertise and experiences as to how to ensure the safety of the 2008 Olympics.

 

"Last month we invited Peter Ryan from Sydney to discuss with us about some particular security problems," he said. "We learnt valuable experiences from them."

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According to Liu, Vassilios Constantinides, who headed security for the Athens Games, had also been consulted.

 

Liu, also the deputy director of Beijing's Public Security Bureau, said that researches and studies have been conducted on the security at the Olympic venues and a series of plans and manuals have been formulated since 2003.

 

"We have established a complete security network for the Olympics," he said.

 

(Xinhua News Agency April 5, 2007)