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Speakers:

Mr. Wang Xiangxi, minister of emergency management

Mr. Song Yuanming, vice minister of emergency management

Mr. Wang Daoxi, vice minister of emergency management

Mr. Xu Ping, political commissar of the National Fire and Rescue Administration 

Mr. Min Yiren, administrator of the China Earthquake Administration 

Mr. Huang Jinsheng, administrator of the National Mine Safety Administration

Chairperson:

Mr. Chen Wenjun, director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO

Date:

June 8, 2023

Chen Wenjun:

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). This is our 17th briefing in the series "Embarking on the New Journey — A Government Perspective." Today, we have invited Mr. Wang Xiangxi, minister of emergency management, to brief you on implementing the major decisions and plans of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and promoting the modernization of the emergency management system and its capacity. He will also take your questions. In addition, we are also joined today by Mr. Song Yuanming, vice minister of emergency management, Mr. Wang Daoxi, vice minister of emergency management, Mr. Xu Ping, political commissar of the National Fire and Rescue Administration, Mr. Min Yiren, administrator of the China Earthquake Administration, and Mr. Huang Jinsheng, administrator of the National Mine Safety Administration.

Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Wang for a brief introduction.

Wang Xiangxi:

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, and friends from the media. Good morning! It gives me great pleasure to be here with you today. First, on behalf of the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM), I would like to sincerely thank the media for your continuous care, support and assistance in the field of emergency management. Today, my colleagues and I will communicate with you about implementing the major decisions and plans of the 20th CPC National Congress and promoting the modernization of the emergency management system and its capacity.

Established in 2018 as part of reforming Party and state institutions, the MEM bears crucial responsibility for preventing and mitigating major safety risks, responding promptly to various disasters and accidents, and safeguarding the lives and property of the public while maintaining social stability. The ministry manages the National Fire and Rescue Administration, the National Mine Safety Administration, and the China Earthquake Administration. Over the years, we have steadfastly followed the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, diligently implemented the decisions and directives of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and worked collaboratively with relevant departments to effectively prevent, mitigate and respond to risks, thereby ensuring safety in production and comprehensive disaster prevention, mitigation and relief of the country. Between 2018 and 2022, the total number of nationwide production safety accidents and associated fatalities decreased by 80.8% and 51.4%, respectively, compared to the previous five years. Additionally, the number of deaths and missing persons due to natural disasters declined by 54.3% compared to the preceding five years.

The report to the 20th CPC National Congress made arrangements to enhance public safety governance in a specific section and put forward clear requirements for emergency management. Taking the implementation of the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress as its primary political task, the MEM has focused on vigorous implementation, pursued high-quality development with high-level safety, and ensured a new development pattern with a new security architecture . Specifically, our efforts in this regard lie in the following four aspects:

First, the MEM focuses on system improvement. In accordance with the requirement of "establishing an overall safety and emergency response framework, " the MEM has leveraged the comprehensive strength and expertise of related government departments. It has worked to enhance coordination between unified and separate management, prevention and rescue efforts, and higher and lower levels of government. It has also worked to ensure that all links are held accountable in emergencies and develop an emergency response working pattern featuring concerted efforts, collaboration and high efficiency. Since the beginning of this year, the MEM has made extra efforts to improve responsibility systems, optimize command mechanisms, strengthen the legal structure and enhance primary-level emergency response and management capabilities. For example, regarding the difficulties of duty delivery, the MEM provided guidance to all localities. This guidance included a directive to establish a clear list of responsibilities for Party and government leaders in ensuring safe production and managing and reducing disasters. The MEM also specified regulatory departments' industrial supervision responsibilities. According to this specification, when these departments oversee businesses, industries, and production and business operations, they must supervise safety issues. Moreover, the MEM specified regulatory bodies' duty regarding the possible risks brought about by new business forms and materials. The MEM also strengthened the fulfillment of enterprises' primary responsibilities. It carried out safety management assessments for persons in charge and safety management staff of centrally-administered state-owned enterprises (SOEs), local SOEs and private enterprises in high-risk sectors. For areas and enterprises experiencing frequent occurrences of accidents, the MEM has issued warnings and admonitions, sent public notifications, dispatched on-site supervision teams and exposed cases via media outlets in a bid to ensure the fulfillment of duties.

Second, the MEM focuses on prevention. In accordance with the requirement of "driving a shift in public safety governance toward a model of prevention ," the MEM has paid more attention to preventive work, prioritized safety risk prevention and control at the source, and made efforts on regular management, monitoring and early warning, and engineering governance, in a bid to create a safe environment which is conducive to development. So far, the MEM has conducted online monitoring for over 6,900 enterprises with major hazard installations and hazardous chemical firms, 3,400 coal mines, and 2,400 tailings ponds of third-class or above. Automatic alarms will be triggered with related emergency response measures for any incidents.

Thirdly, we are focusing on targeted rectification efforts. This year, we have witnessed a decline in the number of accidents and fatalities related to workplace safety; however, there has been a resurgence of serious and major accidents. So this year, we launched a nationwide campaign to identify and address hazards of major accidents. Drawing from the lessons learned, we are implementing specific measures to tackle prominent challenges in mine safety, fire safety, and hazardous chemical products . To improve the impact of our rectification efforts, we are prioritizing the improvement of risk and hazard investigation and the effectiveness of rectification while also enhancing the strong desire and capabilities in identifying and solving problems. We are closely monitoring areas such as welding and cutting operations, construction activities that surpass design limits on open-pit mine slopes, and sites with poor management practices. We have deployed multiple law enforcement teams to conduct unannounced visits and inspections in key regions, and their findings have been publicly disclosed through mainstream media. Additionally, we have dispatched 20 comprehensive inspection teams to supervise and inspect, ensuring the successful implementation of the rectification campaign.

Fourthly, we are dedicated to enhancing our capabilities. With a focus on strengthening disaster prevention, mitigation, and response capacities for major public emergencies, we have been continuously implementing key projects for natural disaster prevention and control. Our goal is to establish an emergency rescue system with characterized by a comprehensive national fire and rescue force supported by specialized rescue teams, military emergency units, and collaboration with social forces. Currently, all six national-level regional rescue centers have already started construction. In May of this year, we conducted the Emergency Mission 2023 exercise in Yunnan, which tested and honed our earthquake rescue capabilities in an all-around way in high-mountain and canyon regions.

As we are currently marking the 22nd national workplace safety month, we hope that the media community will continue their support and engagement in emergency management. By actively promoting and disseminating safety knowledge, we aim to raise safety consciousness and emergency preparedness among the public, where individuals understand the importance of safety and possess the skills necessary to respond effectively in crisis situations.

That's all my opening remarks. Next, my colleagues and I are ready to answer your questions. We look forward to exchanging ideas with all of you. Thank you.