China, ASEAN join forces to train for disaster management

Attendees of the 2023 ASEAN-China Disaster Management Capacity Building Program pose for a group photo. [Photo by Tang Weiqing/China News Service]

The opening ceremony of 2023 ASEAN-China Disaster Management Capacity Building Program was held on July 10 in Nanning, capital of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

A group of 29 people - from ASEAN countries, the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance - participated in the five-day training program on urban search and rescue team training, as well as urban disaster management personnel training.

The urban search and rescue training focused on the development of China's search and rescue team and international rescue experience, the United Nations search and rescue coordination mechanism, as well as disaster site assessments and labeling standards. It included hands-on training on rope skills and other practical techniques.

The urban disaster management training, meanwhile, took Nanning as a working example - emphasizing its urban safety planning, comprehensive disaster risk monitoring and early warning systems, special equipment, fires and training on meteorological warning technologies.

Despite ASEAN's best efforts in disaster management and relief, climate change has significantly increased the intensity and destructiveness of natural disasters. This has greatly affected ASEAN countries which handle such catastrophes as earthquakes and tsunamis.

Droughts have also caused serious indirect impacts on the region, making it more challenging to develop a resilient and secure ASEAN, according to officials from the ASEAN Secretariat.

To answer the challenge, China and ASEAN announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2021.

The ASEAN-China Disaster Management Capacity Building Program is an important cooperative project under the China-ASEAN disaster management cooperation mechanism.

The project will be implemented from 2023 to 2026 - conducting a series of training and seminar activities for disaster management personnel, disaster prevention and reduction workers and rescue personnel.