China reinforces central emergency response law as vast swathes battle downpours, drought

The revision, passed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislative body, takes effect in November.

Maximum penalties for anyone failing to fulfil their legal responsibilities during emergencies will increase fivefold under the revised law – from 200,000 yuan (US$27,520) to a million yuan to deter “particularly serious” situations, according to the amendment.

The revision was prompted by China’s experience during Covid-19, an NPC spokesman said earlier.

President Xi Jinping had ordered the building of a centralised emergency resource reserves system in February 2020, shortly after China imposed its strict zero-Covid policy involving mass quarantine and testing and border controls.

The central government drove the general pandemic fight but left leeway for varied implementation on local levels. Under the policy, China had a relatively low rate of infections for about two years, before mass outbreaks followed an abrupt lifting of curbs in late 2022.

China has grappled with increasingly extreme weather in recent months, as continued floods and downpours in some regions and drought-like conditions in others take a toll on lives and the economy, especially the agriculture sector.

02:26

Riverbeds crack as Chinese farmers struggle through intense heatwave

Riverbeds crack as Chinese farmers struggle through intense heatwave

The weather office has warned of worse to come this year.

On Saturday, the National Meteorological Centre issued its highest rainfall warning under a four-tier system as areas in four provinces in the south and southeast recorded 250mm (9.8 inches) to 322mm of rainfall within 24 hours.

The revision of the 2007 law was aimed at “improving the emergency response management and command systems, with the responsibilities of all parties clarified”, state news agency Xinhua reported.

A newly added line highlighted the goal of an “enhanced, centralised, unified, efficient, and authoritative leadership system for emergency response work with Chinese characteristics”.

Under the revised law, the building of centralised emergency resource reserves will be stepped up for efficient allocation, while the catalogue of reserves will be actively updated by departments under the State Council, China’s cabinet.

The country will also set up a “comprehensive emergency warning platform”, while media and telecoms and internet service providers should establish a “quick channel” for releasing emergency information.

01:51

Xi Jinping urges all-out efforts as floods and droughts grip parts of China

Xi Jinping urges all-out efforts as floods and droughts grip parts of China

The amendment also strictly forbids “any institution or individual” from fabricating or spreading false information about emergencies and requires the government to clarify any information that it becomes aware of “that may affect the stability of society”.

Local governments should “provide guidance” to news media and support them with news reporting and conducting public opinion supervision, while “news media should report on emergencies in a timely, accurate, objective and fair manner”.

The clause, however, has prompted concerns that it may curb media reporting of natural disasters, as local governments usually herd reporters into a press conference and keep those affected or their relatives from speaking to the media, while sending officials to monitor and communicate with the families.

Covid-19 brought new challenges for emergency response management and showed the need to revise the 2007 law, Yue Zhongming, then-spokesman of the NPC Legislative Affairs Commission, said in December 2021.

Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

<p>2027 BMW iX3 (China)</p>

BMW Drops The Pop-Out Door Handles For China’s iX3

The long-wheelbase BMW iX3 has semi-enclosed door handles. BMW plans to sell the stretched iX3 outside China. Compared to the global version, it adds a camera mounted in the roof spoiler. When BMW teased the iX3 for China at the beginning of the year, it showed a prototype with the same flush door handles as

S. Alex Yang

The rise of Chinese platform state

LONDON/LOS ANGELES – China’s just-concluded “Two Sessions” – the annual meetings of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference – delivered a clear message: technology will be the primary engine of the country’s economic future. In its 15th Five-Year Plan, the government again highlighted the development of “new quality productive forces,”

Are Bibles banned in China? Not quite

Are Bibles banned in China? Not quite

China (MNN)—Kurt Rovenstine, of Bibles for China, disagrees with recent claims that China is one of the countries leading a trend of banning the Bible, as reported in a recent article. “The way these articles are framed and the statements that they make, I think you have to be able to dig a little bit

Second flight to China from Kol starts daily ops

Second flight to China from Kol starts daily ops | Kolkata News

Kolkata: After the direct air connectivity between Kolkata and China resumed, the second non-stop flight to the neighbouring country was launched. IndiGo started a daily flight to Shanghai from the city on Sunday. The services were resumed last Oct with a flight to Guangzhou. This was also launched by IndiGo.A flight to Kunming will also

Thousands Of Travellers Stranded Around China Today As Beijing, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou, And More Cancel 462 And Delay 5413 Flights, Grounding China Southern, China Eastern, Air China, Shenzhen Airlines, And Others

Thousands Of Travellers Stranded Around China Today As Beijing, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou, And More Cancel 462 And Delay 5413 Flights, Grounding China Southern, China Eastern, Air China, Shenzhen Airlines, And Others

Home » Latest Travel News » Thousands Of Travellers Stranded Around China Today As Beijing, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou, And More Cancel 462 And Delay 5413 Flights, Grounding China Southern, China Eastern, Air China, Shenzhen Airlines, And Others Published on March 31, 2026 Image generated with Ai Thousands of passengers were grounded in China today

Thousands Of Passengers Trapped Around Asia Today As Thailand, Japan, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, And Malaysia Cancel 470 And Delay 6,712 Flights, Disrupting AirAsia, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Southern, And Other Airlines In Shenzhen, Shanghai, Tokyo, Bangkok, And More

Thousands Of Passengers Trapped Around Asia Today As Thailand, Japan, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, And Malaysia Cancel 470 And Delay 6,712 Flights, Disrupting AirAsia, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Southern, And Other Airlines In Shenzhen, Shanghai, Tokyo, Bangkok, And More

Home » Latest Travel News » Thousands Of Passengers Trapped Around Asia Today As Thailand, Japan, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, And Malaysia Cancel 470 And Delay 6,712 Flights, Disrupting AirAsia, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Southern, And Other Airlines In Shenzhen, Shanghai, Tokyo, Bangkok, And More Published on March 31, 2026 Image generated with

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi

China keeps Iranian oil moving through Hormuz as war reshapes trade

In early March, a Chinese-owned oil tanker moved through the Strait of Hormuz. It was one of just three vessels to pass through the strait that day. Only one of them — carrying Iranian crude — is bound for China. Iran war live updates: For the latest on the Middle East conflict, read our blog.

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin shaking hands

Analyst warns US could lose conflict if China’s Iran support goes unchecked

Gatestone Institute senior fellow Gordon Chang joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to warn China’s support for Iran could escalate the conflict and raise risks of a broader global war ahead of President Donald Trump’s Beijing trip. The growing alignment between China, Russia, and Iran raises new concerns about the trajectory of the conflict in the Middle

Wondering where China’s cyber effort will go next? Just read the five-year plan

Wondering where China’s cyber effort will go next? Just read the five-year plan

Most cyber analysis begins with incidents. It should begin with intent. Adversaries sometimes declare strategic priorities, yet cyber incidents that align with them are not assessed accordingly. We should in fact be guarding against intrusions before they happen by taking note of foreign and industrial policies that indicate where they’re likely to concentrate. This methodology

China Sends Fuel to Struggling Southeast Asia Despite Export Ban

China Sends Fuel to Struggling Southeast Asia Despite Export Ban

Despite a ban on fuel exports from early this month, China has delivered cargoes of diesel and other fuels to Southeast Asia in recent days in a sign that Beijing seeks to alleviate the regional crisis and retain diplomatic leverage. Two weeks after the war in the Middle East began and after it became clear

A Mercedes Benz car showroom from the outside with large logo

German Firms Trapped Between US And China, Study Finds

Germany’s largest companies are deeply entangled with rival businesses in China and the US, and unable to escape either superpower, according to new research published today [30 March 2026] by the University of Sussex and King’s College London. While it is widely known that Germany is caught between the US and China, this new research

Toyota's China Problem Is Getting Harder To Ignore — TradingView News

Toyota Reports 2.3% Sales Drop as China Weakness Deepens — TradingView News

Toyota Motor Corp. TM is starting to show early signs of strain as February data points to softening demand in key markets, particularly China, where competition in electric vehicles continues to intensify. The company reported a 2.3% year-over-year decline in global sales to 806,905 units, with Toyota and Lexus brand sales in China falling 13.9%

Russia Sends Nuclear-Capable Tu-95 Bombers Toward Japan in Regional Power Play

China Reportedly Goes Submarine Hunting Near Okinawa, Japanese Fighters Scrambled — UNITED24 Media

Japan scrambled fighter jets after detecting a Chinese military aircraft operating over the East China Sea, with early assessments suggesting the platform may be a new or modified submarine-hunting variant. Japan’s Ministry of Defense reported on March 30 that an Air Self-Defense Force response was triggered after a Chinese patrol aircraft was spotted flying southwest of Okinawa on March 28. We bring you stories from the ground.

Toyota's China Problem Is Getting Harder To Ignore — TradingView News

Toyota’s China Problem Is Getting Harder To Ignore — TradingView News

Toyota Motor TM is starting to feel the heat, with February sales slipping 2.3% year over year to 806,905 units as pressure builds in China and demand softens at home. The biggest drag came from China, where Toyota and Lexus sales dropped 13.9%, while production fell 11.5%. The company partly blamed the shifting timing of

China Strategic Technology Group posts loss for year rmb463.4 million

USPACE Technology Group Ltd, formerly Hong Kong Aerospace Technology Group Ltd is an investment holding company mainly engaged in electronic manufacturing services (EMS) business. The Company operates its business through three segments. The EMS Business-Smart Home Device segment is principally engaged in the production of printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) and fully assembled electronic products,

China's expanding role in Central Asia: Economic dominance and geopolitical risks

China and Kyrgyzstan – stages of interaction

Editor’s note: Moses Becker is a special political commentator for News.Az. He holds a PhD in political science and specializes in interethnic and interreligious relations. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the position of News.Az. As part of the former Soviet Union, the Kyrgyz SSR was

China launches Dongbi Index to challenge impact factor dominance

China launches Dongbi Index to challenge impact factor dominance

Image: Shutterstock.com/Ikkiae001 Chinese researchers have introduced a new methodology for evaluating medical and life science journals that moves beyond the traditional reliance on journal impact factors, in a development seen as part of wider efforts to strengthen the country’s “academic discourse power”. According to the South China Morning Post two new Dongbi Index journal lists

Pak offers to mediate between Iran and US after Gulf FMs meet, gets China’s support

Pak offers to mediate between Iran and US after Gulf FMs meet, gets China’s support

Pakistan said on Sunday (March 29, 2026) that it is ready to “host and facilitate meaningful talks” between the United States and Iran to bring an end to the month-long war that has destabilise the region. Outlining growing support for its peace efforts, including from the United Nations and China, Pakistan issued a statement after

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x