Nations to cooperate on emergency management

The China-Central Asia ministerial meeting on emergency management will be held in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Thursday, where a memorandum of understanding is expected to be signed, marking the formal establishment of the China-Central Asia emergency management cooperation mechanism, a Chinese emergency official said on Monday.

Wang Manda, director for international cooperation at the Ministry of Emergency Management, made the remarks at a news conference in Beijing on Monday, adding that emergency response officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have been invited to attend the meeting in Urumqi, Xinjiang's regional capital.

"China and the five Central Asian countries face high risks of natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and forest and grassland fires, as well as the challenging task of balancing economic and social development with major risk prevention and mitigation," he said.

Wang said that one of the significant outcomes of the China-Central Asia Summit held in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, last year was the new platform for practical cooperation in the field of emergency management among the six countries.

The Xi'an Declaration at the China-Central Asia Summit signed by the heads of state of the six countries last year said that "all parties are willing to strengthen cooperation among emergency management authorities and deepen exchanges and cooperation in disaster prevention and mitigation, production safety, emergency rescue, and earthquake science and technology".

This week's meeting will review the consensus reached by the six heads of state on strengthening cooperation among emergency management departments, systematically summarize that cooperation, and propose several practical cooperation suggestions, Wang said.

An emergency response drill for oil and gas pipeline accidents will also be conducted during the ministerial meeting.

Chen Yihui, deputy director of the National Emergency Rescue Center for Work Safety, said: "There are various ways to transport oil and gas, with pipeline transportation being the main method. The international community pays close attention to and highly values the safety of oil and gas pipeline transportation."

The drill will further enhance joint emergency response capabilities for oil and gas pipelines between China and the five Central Asian countries, providing effective security for the safe transportation of oil and gas through pipelines in the China-Central Asia region.

The drill will last for six days and involve more than 100 professional rescue personnel from China and the five Central Asian countries, Chen said.