China has upgraded its emergency plan for earthquakes that occur around the country's major cities and key facilities, including reservoirs and nuclear power plants, according to a fresh cabinet-issued regulation.

The document, released on the central government's website Friday, stipulated improved efforts in earthquake analysis and tracing as well as information publicity after earthquakes around cities and at key sites where there could be considerable social impact.

When such an earthquake occurs, China Earthquake Administration should step up its analysis over the consequences and development trend of the earthquake and report its advice or comments to the State Council, or China's cabinet, said the revised national earthquake emergency plan.

Meanwhile, local governments should release the information in an appropriate manner to ease any possible public panic, the plan said.

Revised last month, the plan is an update to an original version that was published in 2006.

Two earthquakes measuring 5.7 and 5.6 on the Richter scale hit a border area in southwest China's Yunnan and Guizhou provinces on Sept. 7, killing more than 80 and injuring over 800 others. Some 36 small reservoirs suffered damage in the earthquakes.

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