Hangzhou will not shut down any of its food stalls and grocery stores during the G20 summit, local authorities announced, refuting rumors that the city would suspend the operations of some such outlets during the event.
Speculations have been rampant online, as some have claimed that a number of businesses would be required to suspend operation during G20 in order to improve the city's image. In response, Hangzhou authorities said that businesses would be able to maintain normal hours during the summit, Beijing Morning Post reported.
An employee of a steamed bun purveyor said the store has already received orders for the month of September, and will keep delivering food. The owner of a grocery store said many community members have asked about the store's operations in late August and early September, but that no suspension order has been given.
Similarly, authorities said that deliveries in and out of the city will not be halted due to the summit, and that long-distance bus stations will continue to operate, though makeshift stations will be temporarily shuttered.
The host city also denied rumors that all Hangzhou police officers will be receiving subsidies of 10,000 yuan for their work during the summit, and that the city government has a budget of 160 billion yuan for G20.
"The Hangzhou government's annual budget for 2016 is 123 billion yuan. Many projects allegedly built for the G20 summit are in fact key provincial development projects conceived of many years ago by the Zhejiang and Hangzhou governments," the newspaper noted.
