SCIO briefing on quake relief in Tibet and aid to Nepal
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail China.org.cn, May 7, 2015
Guo Weimin:
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to today’s press conference. The 8.1-magnitude strong earthquake in Nepal on April 25 has a severe impact on local areas in Nepal as well as parts of China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. After the earthquake, the Chinese government has taken active anti-quake and disaster-relief actions. To help give everybody here a better understanding of the situation regarding the 8.1-magnitude earthquake in Nepal, the disaster relief and rescue work in Tibetan areas, today we have invited some leaders from major departments involved in this work to meet the press. They are Mr. Dou Yupei, vice minister of civil affairs, Mr. Liu Jianchao, assistant minister of foreign affairs, Mr. Qian Keming, vice minister of commerce, Mr. Kelsang Tsering, vice chairman of the People's Government of Tibet Autonomous Region, Mr. Zheng Weibo, director of the Emergency Office of the Headquarters of the General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army, Mr. Niu Zhijun, vice director of the China Earthquake Administration, and Mr. Mao Qun'an, spokesman of the National Health and Family Planning Commission. They will also take your questions.
First, I’d like to invite the three leaders to give us a brief introduction. The first is Mr. Dou Yupei, vice minister of civil affairs, please.
Dou Yupei:
Members of the press, good afternoon. The 8.1-magnitude earthquake in Nepal on April 25 has had a severe impact on Xigaze and Ngari in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. The CPC Central Committee and the State Council attach great importance to the situation. General Secretary Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, as well as other state leaders have repeatedly issued important instructions, putting forward specific requirements for responding to the emergency, rescuing the people who have been trapped, treating the wounded, resettling the people affected by the disaster, repairing the damaged infrastructure, preventing secondary disasters, and organizing and carrying out the reconstruction work. On the morning of April 27, Vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Wang Yong presided over a special meeting to draw up and deploy specific measures on supporting the Tibet Autonomous Region to carry out the disaster relief work. The State Council immediately sent a working group involving eight ministries -- the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Land and Resources, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Transport, the National Health and Family Planning Commission, and the China Earthquake Administration -- to the earthquake-hit areas including the worst-hit counties of Nielamu, Gyirong and Tingri. The working group conveyed the central government's concern for the people affected by the disaster, examined and investigated the resettlement work, and guided and coordinated the earthquake response and disaster relief work.
To implement the directives from leaders including President Xi and Premier Li Keqiang, the National Committee for Disaster Reduction acted quickly and worked with others to provide quake relief to Tibet. The Ministry of Civil Affairs started the national IV-degree emergency response and disaster relief mechanism immediately following the quake on that day and elevated the level to III-degree on the second day based on the updates of the disaster. The ministry has given a 150-million-yuan contingency fund and rescue supplies to Tibet, including 30,000 camp tents, 130,000 items of clothes and quilts, 25,000 foldable beds, 15,000 sleeping bags, 10,000 camping lamps, 100 sets of lighting equipment and 1,000 make-shift toilets. The National Development and Reform Commission allocated 30 million yuan for an emergency aid investment fund from the central budget, and worked hard to ensure the transportation of coal, electricity, oil and gas as well as rescue supplies. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology provided guidance to local telecom companies to ensure telecommunications by putting into place interim stations and expanding the capacities of nearby stations. The Ministry of Land and Resources and the China Meteorology Administration jointly issued a meteorological early warning about geological disasters to offer high-definition remote-sensing images and drafted in experts to look into over 150 sites that might be affected by potential quake-caused risks.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Planning dispatched a group of experts to offer guidance on the emergency evaluation of 310 public and residential buildings as well as other important city facilities in seven counties. The Ministry of Transportation earmarked 10 million yuan of funds to repair quake-hit roads to help resume transportation. The Ministry of Water Resources offered guidance to handle quake lakes, prevent secondary disasters at reservoir and hydro power plants, and ensure the safety of drinking water. The Ministry of Commerce worked under the III-degreeemergency response and disaster relief mechanism and collaborated with the Ministry of Finance to tap into government meat reserves and ensured the supplies of daily necessities in the quake-hit area. The Ministry of Health assigned a 25-strong rescue team to the quake-hit area on a medical and anti-epidemic mission, and helped ensure the supply of medical and anti-epidemic emergency materials. The China Earthquake Administration sent a group to make a survey of the quake and conduct an assessment of the quake’s magnitude, released a quake map and defined the quake-hit area. The army and armed police forces played a leading role in the relief efforts, sending troops, vehicles and helicopters to help with the rescue and transportation of the wounded, disinfection and epidemic prevention, as well as tent erection and transport restoration.
For the next step, the National Committee for Disaster Reduction and other departments will follow the directives of the Central Committee and the State Council to offer guidance on the formulation and implementation of relief policies for those affected by the earthquake, to meet their basic living needs. We will intensify disaster monitoring and early warning systems to prevent secondary disasters. We will send expert groups to give a full assessment of quake losses, give suggestions and help in the post-quake reconstruction.
Kelsang Tsering:
Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the government of Tibet Autonomous Region, I'd like to brief you about the earthquake relief work in the region.
The 8.1-magnitude earthquake and subsequent aftershocks that struck Nepal on April 25 have strongly impacted Xigaze, Ngari Prefecture and other bordering regions. After the disaster, China's central government and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China have paid great attention to the situation. President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang, Chairman of the CPPCC Yu Zhengsheng, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and Vice Premier Wang Yang all gave important direction many times as they simultaneously dispatched many working groups in time to greatly support and give scientific guidance to the relief work in Tibet. It is enough to indicate that the central government under the leadership of President Xi cares deeply about Tibet earthquake relief work and the Tibetan people who have suffered from the disaster, pointing the way and motivating us to conduct relief work well. The government and Party committee of Tibet Autonomous Region have attached great importance to the relief work and have acted quickly to implement the important instructions given by Xi Jinping, also the general secretary of the Central Committee of the CPC. We have insisted on making earthquake relief work our current most important political task according to deployment by the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council and with help from the central government and various government departments. We maintain that saving live is our top priority, and we have taken on great responsibilities and moved forward to the front lines. Party members, government officials, members of the military, policemen and the common people should work together and spare no effort to fully dedicate themselves to relief work and to overcoming difficulties we encounter during this time. After 10 days of working hard day and night, we have triumphed in this phase. There are several outstanding characteristics of this earthquake. First, there is its high magnitude. The April 25 earthquake had a magnitude of 8.1 and the epicenter of the quake was at a depth of only 20 kilometers. Later, more than 130 aftershocks ensued, two of which were above 7.0-magnitude. This was the strongest earthquake in the region in 80 years. Second, the intensity of the earthquake was huge. A total of 47,000 square kilometers were affected by seismic intensity above intensity VI, and the highest grade of intensity was IX. Third, the distance of the quake from China was short. The epicenter, Pokhara, was 220 kilometers away from Nepal's capital Kathmandu and is only 40 kilometers away from Gyirong County and Nyalam County [in Tibet Autonomous Region]. Fourth, the scope of the quake’s effects is wide. The earthquake impacted 19 counties and regions in Tibet. Fourteen counties and regions in the area, including Xigaze and Ngari Prefecture, have suffered from the quake, with Nyalam, Gyirong and Tingri counties suffering the most. Fifth, the situation of the disaster is severe. Thus far, 26 people in Tibet Autonomous region have died, 3 are missing, 856 are injured, 2,699 residences and 1 temple have collapsed, 39,943 residences and 242 temples and structures at cultural relic sites have been damaged. 80 percent of the houses in Nyalam, Gyirong and Tingri counties have been damaged or destroyed. Nearly 300,000 people suffered from the disaster on different levels, and nearly 140,000 people are severely suffering because of the quake. The roads, communications, electricity infrastructure, irrigation works and other infrastructure in the disaster areas are damaged on different levels. Sixth, there are many big difficulties. The disaster areas' average altitude is more than 4,000 meters. It's very cold, the air has low levels of oxygen and the climate changes quite often. The geological features in the affected areas are complex, and the aftershocks come one after another. Avalanche, rock slides and cave-ins happen from time to time, and the landslides and mudslides occur everywhere in the mountains there. Several secondary disasters that happened after the earthquake made many disaster areas "isolated islands," endangering even more people's lives and making rescue work extremely difficult.
In the face of the high altitude, the rare intensity of the earthquake and the extremely bad conditions for rescue, and under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council, the government and Party committee of Tibet Autonomous Region have paid great attention to the situation and swiftly initiated a grade II earthquake emergency plan to respond. The earthquake relief work leading working group led by Chen Quanguo was immediately launched and forward and rear command centers were established, thoroughly strengthening the unified guidance and comprehensive plan for relief work. The people and officials who participated in the relief work are confident and have no fear of sacrifice. They have conquered many difficulties. Party members, government officials, members of the military, policemen and the common people corresponded and worked together in unison to carry out the relief work in an effective and orderly fashion.
First, we have been resolute and have made saving people our top priority. After the earthquake, the government and Party committee of Tibet Autonomous Region fully instructed and deployed party and government departments at different levels, officials stationed in villages and temples, local-level officials and military officers and soldiers to mobilize and evacuate 6,000 trapped people to new settlement locations, efficiently preventing heavy casualties due to secondary disasters caused by the quake, which set a historic record as the highest magnitude quake with the lowest number of casualties (only 26 dead) in recent years.
Second, we carefully organized and resettled people. Thus far, Tibet Autonomous Region has established 156 relocation sites in 10 counties and regions. 63,989 evacuated people have been properly relocated and settled. Necessities such as tents, clothes, quilts, food and water are fully provided in addition to medical care and aid services. Mental and psychological counseling were also being thoroughly and carefully provided, which strengthened the confidence and determination of people in disaster areas to overcome the disaster and rebuild their homes.
Third, we have repaired infrastructure and make sure that everything goes smoothly. We have insisted that the military and local government work together, police and people work together, and we have mobilized more than 1,700 vehicles to clear more than 1,000 kilometers of roadway. Power, water and communications infrastructure have been preliminarily restored.
Fourth, the quick transportation of relief materials provided residents with security. Based on the principle that preparing whatever the disaster areas needed and sending in whatever materials they lacked, we organized and dispatched 950 vehicles to transport relief materials including 25,000 tents, 130,000 sets of cotton clothes and quilts, 20,000 sleeping bags, 27,000 cots and other necessary materials to ensure that people in disaster areas had their normal daily needs securely met.
Fifth, scientific rescue reduced losses. We practically strengthen the monitoring and pre-warning systems for landslides, mudslides and cave-ins, and comprehensively strengthened precautionary measures in key locations, making sure that no one died and no accidents happened after the quake due to the secondary disasters.
Sixth, we have been able to maintain order and keep everything stable. We have steadily done a good job with the management of public safety and social precautions, maintaining order in settlement areas. We have made sure that civil order is well-maintained in disaster areas and have ensured that the overall picture of society in Tibet remains harmonious and stable.
Currently, Tibet's quake relief work is transforming into a phase of relocation and a phase of restoration and rebuilding. The Tibet Autonomous Region government and Party committee have founded a leading working group for post-quake rebuilding works. The government and Party will work with the Tibet quake relief work leading group to instruct and push forward various efforts including relief work, transition and relocation, post-quake reconstruction and more. In the next step, we will continue to help and save injured victims, solidly make arrangements for transition and relocation, repair infrastructure as soon as possible and steadily implement precautionary measures to monitor and prevent secondary disasters. At the same time, we will accelerate and push forward post-quake rebuilding efforts and organically integrate post-quake reconstruction with the nation's “Belt and Road” initiatives, new urbanization with Tibetan characteristics, new farming and pasture area construction, port construction, industry convergence, cultural protection, ecological and environmental protection and administration. By making these efforts, we will make sure that the disaster areas return to normal patterns of life as early as possible so that people in disaster-affected areas can live in safer and more comfortable houses and live a better and happier life. All in all, we are resolute and confident in seriously implementing the important instructions from President Xi Jinping and other top leaders, and we will maintain unity among Party members, government officials, members of the military, policemen and common people. These groups will communicate and work together to accomplish the three major tasks of quake relief, relocation, and reconstruction. We will try very hard to completely and comprehensively triumph in our quake relief work.
Guo Weimin:
Next, the floor is open to Liu Jianchao. He will brief us on China's aid to Nepal in terms of disaster relief.
Liu Jianchao:
Good afternoon. I just met our ambassador to Nepal in the morning. He told us the earthquake has resulted in huge casualties so far – the death toll has exceeded 7,600 and the number of the injured stood above 15,000. The figures are feared to rise. In the wake of the major earthquake, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council both attached great importance to assisting Nepal in earthquake disaster relief and made important deployments of aid to Chinese nationals in Nepal. President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang sent letters of condolence to Nepalese leaders, saying that the Chinese government and people are always with Nepal in times of disaster. They said China is willing to provide whatever is within its capacity to help Nepal with its rescue and relief efforts. The two top leaders also required Chinese nationals in Nepal to be rescued and properly returned to China.
Over the past few days, spokespeople from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have given you daily briefings on the disaster relief work. Today, I would like to brief you on our work from two perspectives.
1. China's aid to Nepal after the earthquake
As per the requirements of the central authorities, a cross-ministerial emergency response mechanism was established under the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is responsible for coordinating China's governmental aid to Nepal for quake relief. The Ministry of Commerce, the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the PLA General Staff Department, the Chinese People's Armed Police Force, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the China Earthquake Administration, the Chinese embassy in Nepal and various non-governmental organizations such as the Red Cross Society of China are mobilizing rescuers and collecting rescue supplies.
In the meantime, China is keeping in close contact with Nepal to keep abreast of Nepal’s specific quake relief needs and to ensure that rescuers and relief supplies arrive in the right place at the right time in order to make our aid efforts efficient. China's aid to Nepal is in full swing and has achieved positive results thanks to the joint efforts of all related departments. The features of China's aid to Nepal can be summed up as follows:
First, our response has been swift. The China international search and rescue team, organized by the China Earthquake Administration, left for Nepal on the evening of the day the earthquake occurred and became the first heavily-equipped international team to reach Kathmandu. The first Chinese government medical team and Chinese military rescue team, both organized by the National Health and Family Planning Commission – China's top health authority – arrived in Nepal on April 27 and April 28 respectively, to make the most of the "golden 72 hours in rescue," trying to beat the clock to treat injured people in the earthquake. As the relief work continued, the second wave of Chinese government medical and quarantine teams also left for Nepal in time to help Nepal control any possible epidemics after the quake.
Second, our huge input has turned into positive achievements. Rescue supplies sent to Nepal by China's government and military weighed a total of 650 tons. Relief supplies have included tents, power generators, water purification devices and blankets which were sent to Nepal by more than 30 military flights and more than 10 civil flights. Over 400 people from Chinese government and military rescue teams, medical teams and decontamination teams have been sent to Nepal in eight waves to carry out rescue and quarantine work. They have conducted around 3,000 field tours and treated more than 1,000 people in addition to training 700 Nepalese medical workers for epidemic prevention. Three military helicopters are already in Nepal to conduct airlifts and rescue missions, while the Armed Police Force has deployed enough manpower and equipment to reopen the Araniko Highway from China's side in Tibet.
Third, China’s rescue and aid has attracted broad participation from within the country. Apart from the central government and the military, Tibet Autonomous Region, Sichuan Province, Yunnan Province, Fujian Province, Guangdong Province, social groups such as the Red Cross Society of China , the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation and the Blue Sky Rescue Team, the business sector and individuals have all made cash or material donations to Nepal. While Nepal-based Chinese companies worked to save their own employees and property, they also actively helped the Nepalese government rescue the injured and shared relief materials with the local people. This has shown that the China-Nepal friendship has a broad and solid social foundation.
Nepalese leaders have expressed their gratitude to China for its selfless assistance many times. Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav and Prime Minister SushilKoirala have respectively met with China’s ambassador to Nepal and visited a Chinese rescue team and treatment team. Both said the Chinese government and people were some of the first to provide substantial, highly efficient and abundant assistance, which has made the Nepalese people deeply aware of China’s concern and kindness.
Secondly, we provided consular protection to Chinese citizens in Nepal.
Due to the earthquake, a great number of structures collapsed, and communication was interrupted in Nepal. The Katmandu International Airport was shut down for a time, stranding a large number of tourists. The quake left four Chinese citizens dead, including two employees of Chinese firms working in Nepal, one tourist and one mountaineer. Many Chinese citizens were injured. The lives of our nationals residing in Nepal, the staff of Chinese firms and Chinese tourists were all seriously threatened.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs quickly determined that priority should be given to transferring those who were badly wounded out of the affected area and to finding appropriate placement for others, and they plunged into the rescue work with the relative departments in a highly efficient and ordered way. The consular protection center and our embassy in Nepal verified the number, distribution and casualties of Chinese people in Nepalas quickly as possible. They did their utmost to make funerary arrangements for the dead and to rescue the injured, providing timely assistance to afflicted Chinese nationals and warning Chinese citizens and firms in Nepal to be alert to the possibility of aftershocks and secondary disasters.
As of May 2, with the joint efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Civil Aviation Administration, the military and the Chinese embassy in Nepal, the Chinese government has dispatched a total of 52 planes to Nepal, which have safely returned around 6,000 Chinese citizens stranded at the Katmandu airport to China. We have also coordinated with military and Nepali aid agencies to safely transfer and find proper living arrangements for several hundred Chinese people who worked for the China Three Gorges Corporation’s hydropower station project and the Tato Pani Checkpoint project, as well as mountaineers climbing Mount Qomolangma.
In the next stage, in accordance with the disaster situation and requests from Nepal and based on our practical capacity, we will continue to assist with settlement and reconstruction efforts. We will also provide further help to individual Chinese citizens who remain in Nepal.
Thank you.
Guo Weimin:
Now the floor is open. Please identify the media outlet you are from when raising your questions.
China Central Television:
I’ve got two questions. First, what work has China done in providing earthquake relief to Nepal? Second, what is China going to do regarding the future reconstruction work in Nepal?
Qian Keming:
Two rounds of humanitarian aid supplies worth 60 million yuan and weighing 546 tons have been sent to Nepal under the coordinated work of the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Civil Aviation Administration, the General Staff Department of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), and the General Logistics Department of the PLA. The first round of aid is focused on disaster relief and resettlement, including 1,600 tents, 10,000 blankets, 327 generators and other urgently needed items. This aid has reached Nepal and has been delivered to the victims. The second round of aid is focused on post-quake hygiene and security, with water purification equipment and first-aid parcels. These items have been collected in Kunming, Chengdu and Fuzhou and will be sent to Nepal on 18 military or civilian aircrafts starting from May 6.
The aid work has had the following three features. First, the response has been quick. China has been one of the first countries to provide aid to Nepal. Second, both the government and the public have helped. As well as the Nepal-based aid team, the rescue work has also benefited from the international rescue and medical team and emergency aid sent by the Chinese government, the Chinese civilian rescue team, volunteers, Nepal-based Chinese companies and Chinese people.
Third, the aid has been continuous. The Ministry of Commerce is keeping in real-time communication with the Chinese Embassy in Nepal, and is currently formulating a plan for a new round of aid according to the situation with the earthquake and Nepal’s need for aid. We will dispatch a work group to carry out a post-quake reconstruction assessment and spare no efforts in providing all kinds of aid to Nepal relating to the people’s wellbeing and infrastructure, in order to help the Nepalese people to rebuild their homes. Thank you.
China Daily:
As far as we know, the Chinese International Search and Rescue Team was the first foreign rescue team to reach the quake-hit zone in Nepal. Would you please tell us how the deployment process was simplified so that he team could reach the scene in time? Thank you!
Niu Zhijun:
The Chinese government sent the Chinese International Search and Rescue Team to conduct a humanitarian rescue mission at the invitation of the Nepalese government. This was the team’s 10th overseas humanitarian rescue mission.
Since its establishment in 2001, the Chinese International Search and Rescue Team has conducted 23 missions in areas hit by earthquakes and other disasters in China and abroad. The China Earthquake Administration has established a mechanism to assess quake impact quickly and coordinate various departments accordingly to ensure a timely deployment of the team.
When the 8.1-magnitude earthquake hit Nepal at around 14:00 on April 25, the CEA analyzed the situation quickly and predicted that it would cause large casualties in Nepal and do great damage to parts of the Tibet Autonomous Region. It launched a Class III reaction plan, sent a team to Tibet to help local government handle the aftermath, and ordered the Chinese International Rescue and Search Team to prepare for deployment.
At around 23:00 that day, all members of the Chinese International Rescue and Search Team were assembled, and all rescue and search equipment, personal devices, food and relief supplies were ready. At 5:00 the next day, the team left for Nepal from the Beijing Capital International Airport. It was led by the director of the Emergency Response Department of the CEA and consisted of 62 earthquake experts, rescuers and medical staff. Most of these people participated in rescue missions in quake-hit Wenchuan, Yushu and Lushan in China, as well as in Haiti, Pakistan and Japan. They had rich experience in quake relief. They also took with them six search and rescue dogs and 17 tons of rescue, search and medical care equipment.
In Nepal, the Chinese rescue team took action in a scientific and timely manner. It was the first international heavily-equipped rescue team to reach the quake-hit zone in Nepal. There were more than 100 foreign rescue teams operating in Nepal, and the Chinese team was one of only five teams that successfully pulled survivors out of the debris. After reaching the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu at around 10:00 the day after the earthquake occurred, the Chinese rescue team started to work immediately. Since situations differed greatly in different areas, the teamwas divided into several groups to conduct search and rescue work accordingly. About four hours later, the Chinese rescuers pulled out a 16-year-old boy from the debris of a six-story residential building in northwest Kathmandu. On April 28, after working 34 hours without rest, the rescuers pulled out another survivor from the debris of a seven-story building in northwest Kathmandu.
Over the past ten days, the Chinese team has searched through the debris of 430 buildings in 18 areas. They found two survivors, nine bodies and 910 additional units of usable relief supplies. The team has also set up temporary medical stations, visited with victims and conducted epidemic prevention work in Kathmandu, Dhading and other quake-hit zones. They visited 6,040 people, treated 2,729 people, distributed medicine worth 285,000 yuan (US$ 45,913), and disinfected a total area of 147,000 square meters.
Because of their strong sense of responsibility, the Chinese rescue team has become a pillar among the international rescue teams. On April 29, the United Nations quake relief center divided urban Kathmandu into 13 zones and appointed the Chinese rescue team to take charge of Zone G and coordinate the joint operations of Russian, French, Spanish and other rescue teams. On May 1, when the search area was enlarged, suburban Kathmandu was divided into three zones in the west, north and east, and the Chinese, American and Dutch rescue teams were each responsible for a zone. The Chinese team was responsible for areas between western Kathmandu and Pokhara and coordinated the joint operation of the Russian, Turkish, Malaysian, Thai, Singaporean and other rescue teams.
The Chinese rescue team has brought hope and confidence to quake victims, received praise from the Nepalese government and local people and won applause from the United Nations and other foreign rescue teams.
China News Service:
I have two questions. First, what is the progress of the relief and rescue work by the Chinese government medical teams in the quake-affected areas? Second, what difficulties and problems are the Chinese medical teams encountering in medical relief and epidemic prevention? Thanks.
Mao Qun’an:
Let me answer your questions. After the earthquake occurred, the National Health and Family Planning Commission organized the medical relief and sanitation work in areas of Tibet affected by the earthquake in line with the deployment of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. We sent national health emergency medical teams to the quake zones and instructed Tibet’s health and family planning department on how to organize the local medical staff to carry out on-site medical treatment. The medical relief work in Tibet’s quake zones is going ahead smoothly. The reports we have received from Tibet’s health and family planning department show that there have been no earthquake-related epidemics or public health emergencies in the affected areas so far. In the light of the unified arrangement of the central government, we set up and dispatched two Chinese government medical teams and two epidemic prevention teams to help with medical relief and epidemic prevention in areas of Nepal affected by the earthquake. You can find detailed information on this regard in the materials I have given you, so I don’t want to repeat it.
Your other question concerns the difficulties and problems we are facing in our medical relief work and the focus of the next phase of our work. As we all know, epidemics can easily break out following major natural disasters such as earthquakes. That is why we have made efforts both in terms of medical aid and epidemic prevention in the quake zones in Tibet and Nepal. For example, the experts in our epidemic prevention teams and Nepalese public health staff conducted evaluations on post-disaster infectious diseases and public health risks. Based on the results of the evaluation, we helped Nepal to formulate a technical scheme for the prevention and control of post-disaster epidemics. We hope that we can take scientific and effective measures to fulfill the goal of “no major epidemic outbreaks after a deadly natural disaster” with cooperation between the public health staff from China and Nepal. As a secondary disaster after natural disasters, epidemics have occurred many times in history. We hope we can prevent epidemic outbreaks in the quake zones in both Tibet and Nepal through joint efforts in our relief work. That is all I want to say. Thank you.
Shenzhen Satellite TV:
I have two questions. First, we have learned from media reports that Nepal intends to seek US$1.8 billion in humanitarian aid from the international community. So, Mr. Liu, can you tell us what the Chinese government will do to help Nepal? It’s also said that Nepal might be the first client of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Can you verify that for us? Second, Mr. Zheng, we know that the Chinese air force sent a number of IL-76 transport aircraft to help with the rescue efforts in Nepal. Can you tell us how many personnel and what rescue equipment has been dispatched to help with rescue operations in Nepal? Thank you.
Liu Jianchao:
As to your first question, the Nepalese government is making an assessment of the country’s losses from the earthquake and the funds it needs for reconstruction. We have noticed the reports that Nepal wants to seek US$1.8 billion in humanitarian aid from the international community. I believe that the international community will definitely shoulder the duties and obligations of helping Nepal carry out its relocation and reconstruction in the future. China is in active communication with Nepal and will join hands with the international community to aid Nepal’s rescue work and help with its reconstruction. We will further communicate and plan with the Nepalese government the work that needs to be done, so that we can offer as much assistance as we can.
At the same time, we think that, more importantly, Nepal needs to rely on its government and people for the resettlement and rebuilding. We believe that with the help from the international community, the Nepalese government and its people will overcome all the difficulties in rehabiting its people, rebuilding their homes and making the country more beautiful.
As to whether the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will offer financial aid to the Nepalese government, I noticed that Nepal has made such a request. But establishment of the AIIB, an intergovernmental financial institution, is still underway. How it operates will be for its founding members to jointly discuss. Thank you.
Zheng Weibo:
In the earthquake rescue work, the Chinese air force has dispatched 8 IL-76 aircraft on 23 missions to transport a total of 468 tons of supplies. In addition, three helicopters were sent out on 37 missions to transfer 268 injured or trapped people and transport 7.7 tons of relief materials.
The IL-76 and helicopter pilots faced many challenges on their missions. The first challenge was to fly over the plateau. The IL-76 aircraft had to fly over the Himalayas in China's Tibet Autonomous Region and the helicopters had to fly across the plateau canyons. The climate is complicated. The second challenge arose from flying continuously. Kathmandu Airport, the only airport in Nepal, got so busy after the earthquake that it was always very congested. Since the IL-76 aircraft were usually scheduled to fly after midnight, they needed to fly back immediately after their supplies were unloaded. Therefore, the IL-76 aircraft had to fly through the night. The third challenge came from lack of fuel supply bases. As the IL-76 aircraft could not stop over in Kathmandu Airport and could hardly get refueled, they had to be fully fuelled at home and carry less cargo. Helicopters on mission were mainly checked at the base in Gyirong County, Tibet. They flew back after fulfilling their rescue missions in Nepal and were refueled at Kathmandu Airport only under special circumstances. The PLA Air Force and PLA Ground Air Force have overcome all the difficulties with a strong sense of responsibility and commitment, which has made the rescue work more efficient. Thank you.
Global Times:
My question is: how are governmental and nongovernmental organizations cooperating with each other in current rescue operations? Is there any coordination mechanism? Thank you.
Dou Yupei:
In past disaster relief work following major natural disasters, the government used to take on the major responsibilities. But in recent years, social groups, kind-hearted people and other nongovernment efforts have gotten more involved in disaster relief work and have showed swifter responses. We are studying how to lead nongovernmental efforts to participate in disaster alleviation. In the wake of a major disaster, we generally discourage social organizations from blindly going into disaster-stricken areas. For example, in the current disaster relief work in Tibet, we do not encourage social groups to go to disaster-affected areas immediately because bad traffic and weather conditions in Tibet, a plateau region, can easily paralyze unorganized volunteers and turn rescuers into the ones being rescued. But once conditions have stabilized in disaster-affected areas, we hope social groups will actively take part in relief work through material or cash donations, while volunteers are also encouraged to help with psychological counseling for affected people and help local people in one way or another. We are still perfecting this mechanism. Thank you.
Liu Jianchao:
As for nongovernmental teams conducting rescues in foreign countries, I should first of all offer them my highest regards, because their active participation in the rescue work in Nepal has reflected remarkable international humanitarianism. I want to express my gratitude to them.
Second, there are several aspects that need the attention of rescue teams once they step out of the country. These rescue teams now have far greater capacities, including that of self-sustenance. But they need to pay attention to the following aspects. One, they should register their international trips with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so that we know their whereabouts. Two, they should fully respect Nepal's sovereignty, its jurisdiction, its requests and requirements and only conduct rescue work under Nepal's coordination. Three, they should establish connections with China's embassy in Nepal, so that they can communicate with the embassy in certain situations. International participation in the rescue work in Nepal has included not only governmental efforts, but also nongovernmental efforts from different countries, including some from China. As Minister Dou said just now, we will continue to perfect our mechanism for international rescues to allow our nongovernmental efforts to demonstrate their humanitarianism and contribute their efforts in better ways. Thank you.
Qian Keming:
China maintains many aid projects in Nepal. Before the quake, we had five aid projects and 161 corresponding staff members in Nepal. After the earthquake, Chinese companies and medical teams engaged in aid projects quickly made the most of their own strengths and participated in the earthquake relief work. Here I have some examples to share with you. The Shanghai Construction Group actively helped rescues people from a collapsed warehouse near their site and saved four people who were buried in the debris. They also set up many tents and provided meals to people who had lost their homes. Likewise, the China Railway 14th Construction Bureau sent their excavators to help with the rescue work and managed to save four people. They also dispatched equipment to patch cracks in the city streets to help local traffic begin to flow again. The China Enterprise Association in Nepal coordinated its member companies to engage in post-quake relief, Chinese telecommunication companies repaired broken signal poles and checked up on injured Chinese citizens at all hospitals in Kathmandu, giving them encouragement and necessary assistance. Various Chinese restaurants and Nepal-based Chinese citizens also played active roles in local quake rescue and relief work.
Xinhua:
My question is for PLA General Staff Headquarters' Emergency Response Office Director Zheng Weibo. Can you elaborate on the details of the situation and status of the Chinese military's participation in quake relief works in Tibet Autonomous Region and Nepal? What are the outstanding characteristics of Chinese military participation at this time? Thanks!
Zheng Weibo:
After the 8.1-magnitude earthquake on April 25 in Nepal, the Chinese armed forces and armed police force resolutely implemented the decisions and instructions from the Central Committee of CPC, the Central Military Commission and President Xi Jinping. The military headquarters immediately launched the emergency response mechanism and worked closely with relevant departments to organize and send troops and paramilitary policemen to immediately and actively participate in relief work in Nepal and areas of Tibet that suffered from the disaster. I feel there are three characteristics of this rescue and relief work.
The first characteristic is that relief work started in domestic and foreign areas at the same time. The strong quake in Nepal caused a huge calamity for the local people there and severely impacted parts of our country's Tibet region. The Central Committee of the CPC, the Central Military Commission and President Xi Jinping considered and judged the situation and made quick decisions in a timely fashion. The military and paramilitary forces acted on orders to fully carry out relief and rescue work inside and outside the border simultaneously. By 00:00 on May 7, in the disaster-affected areas of Tibet, the Tibet's PLA Military Area Command and the Chengdu PLA Military Area Comand's air forces and paramilitary forces stationed in Tibet directed the stationed soldiers and militia members to start rescue and relief works immediately after the quake. Thus far, a total of 6,117 officers and 895 militia members have been mobilized, 6 helicopters have been mobilized and have flown on 52 missions. 1,153 vehicles of various kinds were mobilized, too. 918 injured people have been rescued and more than 18,000 people have received medical treatment. More than 49,000 people have been relocated and resettled after their homes were lost or endangered. 1.46 million square meters of space have been sanitized for epidemic prevention. 5,479 tents have been put up and 86 kilometers of roadway has been repaired and cleared. A total of 1,088 personnel from 8 relief forces including China's international rescue team, the air transport plane team, a helicopter team, a medical and disease prevention team and a communication team from Beijing and Chengdu Military Command's air and paramilitary forces have been sent to Nepal's disaster areas. Eight air transport planes have flown on 23 missions, 3 helicopters have flown on 37 missions, and 190 vehicles and pieces of mechanical equipment have been sent there. Two survivors were rescued, 22 trapped Nepalese people were evacuated and transferred, 2,387 people received medical treatment, the bodies of 18 victims were dug out of the rubble, an 800,000-square-meter area has been sanitized for epidemic prevention, 416 tons of aid materials were transported to Nepal by air, and 36 kilometers of roads in Nepal have been cleared. The Chinese military was also able to quickly send helicopters to rescue and evacuate 246 Chinese staff members from China Three Gorges Corporation and Seventh Engineering Bureau under Sinohydro Corporation that were trapped while working on a Nepal hydropower project.
The second characteristic is the large scale of military forces which went outside the border. Many countries have participated in this instance of relief for Nepal, and various countries have sent in groups from their armed forces. Chinese military and paramilitary forces have organized 8 teams of 1,088 personnel, mobilized 8 cargo transport planes, 3 helicopters and 190 vehicles and pieces of mechanical equipment on rescue missions after this quake. This is China’s largest-scale international humanitarian rescue action since the People's Republic of China was founded.
The third characteristic is that many soldiers with professional techniques have participated in the relief work. Based on developing situation of the disaster and the needs for aid and in order to maximize the functional advantages of military forces' emergency response abilities and expertise, China organized and sent five expert teams from the armed forces into areas that required search and rescue, medical treatment, sanitization and disease prevention, road and communication restoration and air transportation services. Those specialized teams have worked closely together to substantially ensure the success of rescue and relief missions.
Currently, relief work in the Tibet region and Nepal after the earthquake has entered the phase of transitional relocation settlement, restoration and rebuilding. Military and paramilitary forces will continue enhancing communication and coordination with China's relevant departments and will turn their focus to relocating and resettling victims, air-transporting aid materials to Nepal, clearing Sino-Nepalese transportation links and participating in medical and disease prevention work in the aftermath to fully and comprehensively accomplish rescue and relief missions in the Tibet region of China and in aid of Nepal. Thank you.
China Radio International:
Minister Dou, the earthquake has impacted Tibet and caused some casualties there. The Ministry of Civil Affairs has organized experts to carry out assessment work in the disaster-stricken areas in Tibet. Can you tell us what the current situation is like there? The post-quake reconstruction will also be carried out later, can you tell us what kind of support the central government will give and when the reconstruction work will begin? Thank you.
Dou Yupei:
You have raised an important question. We initiated a preliminary disaster damage assessment immediately after the earthquake, which is based on the location where the earthquake took place, the magnitude, the local geographical environment, and an empirical model. The results of the quick assessment became available within a few hours of the quake. I can tell you that the assessment results obtained by 3 a.m. the next morning were basically the same as what we have now, which demonstrates that our assessment mechanism was scientific and effective. We are now assessing the post-quake damage, which is important for the reconstruction work.
The assessment work was laid out by the State Council, organized by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the China Earthquake Administration and the National Development and Research Commission, and carried out by the related expert work group. The expert group is made up of experts recommended by the Expert Committee of the China National Commission for Disaster Reduction, the Disaster Reduction Center of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the related scientific research institutions and the government of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The group is being chaired by Professor Shi Peijun, the vice director of the Expert Committee of the China National Commission for Disaster Reduction. The assessment work will be based on the experience from previous earthquakes, including the 2008 Sichuan Wenchuan earthquake, the 2010 Yushu earthquake, the 2013 Lushan earthquake and the 2014 Ludian earthquake, during which we accumulated considerable experience in damage assessment. We will abide by the principles of being scientific and objective, seeking truth from facts, following standards and strict procedures, enhance communication with local quake-affected governments, respect the opinion of related departments and allow experts to play a full role.
The disaster damage assessment consists three aspects: the scale and scope of the damage, the quantity of damaged items, and the direct economic loss. The assessment team will draft a preliminary disaster assessment report based on the economic and social development of the earthquake-stricken areas, the local geographical environment, the damage reported by the quake-affected areas, and the damage data acquired by the relevant departments and the results of satellite remote sensing and monitoring. The report will also make use of an empirical model and take into account the on-site investigation results of the expert team. It will also seek the opinion of the governments of the areas affected by the disaster and it will be fully studied by experts and reviewed by related departments. A formal report will then be drafted and sent to the State Council as soon as possible to provide an important basis for the post-quake reconstruction. Thank you.
Guo Weimin:
That’s all for today. Thank you.
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)