The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) held its 17th briefing session on issues of major concern in Beijing on July 8. 

The theme of the session was improving the emergency response management system to further enhance China’s disaster prevention, reduction and relief capability. Vice-chairmen of the CPPCC National Committee Zhou Qiang and He Baoxiang attended the meeting. 

Wang Kun, a member of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) and head of China Earthquake Administration, briefed the meeting attendants about work on emergency response. Wang said that the MEM has actively facilitated the modernization of its emergency management system and capabilities, effectively ensuring the safety of people and property and overall social stability. As an emergency management system with Chinese characteristics has been preliminarily formed, the ministry will now focus on improving disaster prevention, reduction and relief systems, strengthening risk prevention and the construction of rescue forces, enhancing equipment and technological support and talent cultivation to improve emergency management at the grassroots level, and intensifying coordination between early warning and emergency response, Wang noted. 

Wang Hui, deputy minister of housing and urban-rural development, told the meeting that the ministry has strengthened disaster prevention, reduction and relief work in the fields of housing and urban-rural development. He said that regulations and technical standards have been improved, seismic management of housing and municipal engineering projects has been strengthened, urban drainage and flood prevention systems have been constructed, fire protection designs for construction projects have been reviewed, and awareness of disaster prevention, reduction and relief at the grassroots level has been increased.

He added that the ministry will continuously upgrade the capabilities of disaster prevention, reduction, disaster relief and emergency response. It will also provide guidance to local governments in drainage and flood prevention, promote housing renovation and reinforcement work, and facilitate the establishment of basic industry databases based on disaster risk census data, he said. 

The meeting also discussed how to further upgrade emergency information management, strengthen the assessment of safety risk prevention and control for ultra-high buildings, improve flood prevention and rescue capability at the grassroots level, construct sponge cities, and advance the transformation of public safety governance towards proactive prevention.