Chen Wenjun:

Thank you, Mr. Wang. The floor is now open for questions. Please identify the news outlet you represent before raising your questions.

China Central Television:

Since the founding of the MEM, we have seen marked improvement in the country's rescue effectiveness in multiple disaster relief scenarios. What measures has the ministry taken to improve emergency rescue capabilities to meet the requirements for addressing all types of disasters and major emergencies? Thank you.

Wang Xiangxi:

Thank you. I'll take this question. Over the years, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, we have seen significant improvement in our emergency relief capabilities as we have successfully handled a series of major natural disasters and some serious and major accidents. Notable examples include the efficient and organized rescue and relief operations carried out during the Luding Earthquake in Sichuan province and the mountain fire in Chongqing. These achievements can be attributed to China's political advantage, which stems from the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC, as well as the strengths of our system that allows us to mobilize resources effectively to accomplish major missions. Additionally, the organizational advantages provided by the Party leadership have played a crucial role. To enhance our emergency rescue capabilities, the following work has been done in recent years:

Firstly, we have placed great emphasis on strengthening the national comprehensive firefighting and rescue team. This team, which serves as the main force and national team in emergency rescue, used to primarily focus on fire prevention and extinguishing. However, it has now taken on the responsibility of handling rescue missions for all types of disasters and major emergencies. Through reform and transformation, we have established specialized teams for water, mountain, and earthquake rescue, totaling over 5,000 teams. Moreover, our rescue equipment has undergone significant enhancements, including the deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles, large-scale drainage pumps, and rescue robots. With the support of this team, we have set up six national-level regional emergency rescue centers across the country and strengthened our aviation rescue capabilities. This dedicated team, inspired by the guidance of General Secretary Xi Jinping, consistently demonstrates its commitment to the people by fearlessly stepping forward and confronting dangers during critical moments. They have earned high praise from local governments, the public, and the international community for their selfless contributions for their participation in international rescue operations following the major earthquake in Turkey this February.

Secondly, we have adopted a coordinated approach to the development and coordination of various rescue forces. Leveraging the resources of relevant enterprises, particularly state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and centrally administered SOEs, we have established 102 national emergency rescue teams dedicated to ensuring workplace safety. These teams cover high-risk industries such as mining, hazardous chemical products, and tunnel construction. Additionally, we have established seven specialized engineering emergency response teams. Furthermore, we have actively integrated social forces into the rescue system, resulting in approximately 2,300 teams comprising nearly 50,000 personnel. Moving forward, we will continue to enhance the regulation and development of social forces within the rescue system. In addition, we have established effective coordination and synergy mechanism with the military to carry out joint rescue in times of major disasters .

Third, we have established and refined the emergency rescue command mechanism. The national emergency operations center has been built and put into operation. We have also established a mechanism combining central and local command with professional team command. We have strengthened the coordination mechanism between localities and the military. Our focus has been on building command systems and enhancing command abilities at the grassroots level, improving the ability to evaluate emergency incidents and conduct on-site command.

Fourth, we have focused on improving our ability to fight large-scale and difficult battles. We have conducted training to enhance our capabilities in line with military standards. With complex scenarios in consideration, we made the training and exercises challenging, quickly strengthened efforts to station response teams at high-risk areas in advance, and rigorously enhanced emergency preparedness. In recent years, we have launched joint emergency exercises with local governments annually, particularly earthquake drills. This year, we conducted one in Yunnan province. Under extreme conditions, such as network and power outages, as well as road blockages, we trained our rescue teams, improved plans, and coordinated working mechanisms, enhancing their abilities through exercises.

That was my answer. Thank you.