IFRC Myanmar coordinator thanks int'l community for support

An official of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) briefed the organization's ongoing rescue efforts following the deadly 7.9-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar and thanked the international community for their timely support.

In an interview with China Media Group (CMG) on Wednesday, Marie Manrique, the Myanmar program coordinator for the IFRC, said volunteers and staff from the Myanmar Red Cross have been working across several regions, providing emergency medical care, water purification, and setting up mobile clinics to support earthquake survivors.

"The Myanmar Red Cross Society has been involved in the response since day one immediately. As volunteers are members of their community, they were engaged immediately in first aid, pre-hospital care and ambulance services as possible. Right now we know that we have Myanmar Red Cross volunteers and staff in Sagaing, Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw, and Bago working in response to this terrible situation," she said.

According to the official, the Myanmar Red Cross Society in Sagaing has a water purification unit that is now working and producing over 5,000 liters of water a day. They are engaged with mobile health clinic that they are using to treat people that have been injured due to the earthquake in Mandalay. And they are going to set up two mobile health clinics as well as another water purification unit.

Manrique also expressed gratitude for the swift international assistance, including support from China, in the aftermath of the disaster.

"The Myanmar Red Cross Society is extremely thankful for the support of all of the National Societies around the world of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has recently launched an emergency appeal that will cover a two-year period that is focused on life saving response during this emergency as well as the recovery and resilience strengthening period, so communities have the opportunity to build back their communities and to work for their long term livelihoods as well as community-level risk reduction," she said.

"Recently we've had the arrival of international teams, including teams from the Red Cross Society of China, Japanese Red Cross, and we know that other international members of the IFRC network are also going to be arriving in Myanmar. We are extremely grateful for the support that everyone is sharing to the Myanmar Red Cross Society, understanding that this is not a country-level concern, but really globally everyone has great condolences for the people of Myanmar, but that we're here to support in the response," she said.

IFRC Myanmar coordinator thanks int'l community for support

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠China's natural gas production is projected to reach 300 billion cubic meters by 2030, according to a development report released in Beijing.

The report, covering the development of China's oil and gas industry during the country's 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), said proven geological reserves rose by 7 billion tons of oil and 7 trillion cubic meters of gas, up 43 percent and 40 percent respectively from the previous five-year period. Oil and gas production hit record highs.

"The oil output is likely to reach between 215 and 216 million tons this year. Natural gas has seen major growth during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), with annual domestic output rising by nearly 13 billion cubic meters. In the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), we expect annual increases of more than 10 billion cubic meters, reaching 300 billion cubic meters around 2030," said Wu Mouyuan, deputy director of the Economics and Technology Research Institute of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).

The report forecast that China's energy structure will feature less coal, stable oil and gas, and rising non-fossil fuels over the next decade.

By 2060, fossil fuels are expected to account for 23 percent of the energy mix, hydropower and nuclear 19 percent, wind 25 percent, and solar 30 percent, the report said.

"In the next five years, through the integrated development of fossil energy and renewables, we will achieve a heathy, stable, and resilient energy system. Clean energy will continue to grow rapidly. More than 90 percent of renewable energy will be consumed via electricity, so the electrification at end-use sectors is a key direction of transformation in the future," said Wu.

With the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and new high-energy industries, China's power demand will exceed 20 trillion kilowatt hours by 2060, double the 2025 level. Electrification at end-use sectors is expected to reach 62 percent, rising by nearly one percentage point annually, the report projected.

China to see gas output hitting 300 bcm by 2030: report