At a recent symposium on emergencies, Lu Mingqi, a research fellow with the Research Office of the Beijing municipal government, said representatives from 13 relevant government departments have been participating in the research program, with Wang Qishan, acting mayor of Beijing, as the program leader.

"We are giving high priority to crisis management in the wake of the outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Beijing," said Lu.

"We expect that the establishment of an emergency response network in accordance with international standards will be completed by 2008, when the Olympic Games are held in Beijing to suit the characteristics of the national capital, " said Lu went on.

Participants in the program will study problems relating to cooperation among 9 separate branches at the municipal and district levels, ranging from anti-terrorism and criminal crimes, traffic and production safety, to natural disaster control and relief.

According to Lu, details on the emergency response network willbe released later this year.

(Xinhua News Agency June 13, 2003)