Beijing is a city of many noises, but the whirring of helicopter blades is not one of them. This is usually said to be because the government does not like anyone flying over the leaders’ residential compounds at Zhongnanhai.
This might change if a report published yesterday on Qianlong.com is to be believed. The report, about the Third China Police Equipment Exhibition, quotes a police spokeman saying that Beijing would use police helicopters for security purposes during the 2008 Olympic Games. The spokesman noted that police use of helicpoters has started very late in China, but is developing quickly. Apparently, police in the cities of Guangzhou, Wuhan and Zhengzhou and elsewhere have already bought almost 20 helicopters.
Xinhua image taken from Qianlong.com
LINK:
Qianlong.com: Beijing to use police helicopters for security purposes during Olympics (in Chinese)