A team of about 30 experts from China is currently in Myanmar to assess the aftermath of the 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the country last month.
The team, including professionals from the China Earthquake Administration (CEA), Tongji University, and Harbin Institute of Technology, was dispatched at the request of the Myanmar government on Thursday.
The aftermath assessment will provide a scientific basis for post-disaster reconstruction, disaster prevention, and mitigation, according to the CEA.
So far, the administration said the team has completed the disaster investigation and assessment tasks in Yangon, Bago and Nay Pyi Taw. It has assessed the intensity and extent of the earthquake in the areas and put forward emergency response and repair suggestions for damaged houses.
At the Children's Hospital in Myanmar's capital Nay Pyi Taw, situated approximately 260 kilometers from the epicenter, experts found that the earthquake fault line ran beneath one of the buildings. This resulted in severe tilting and fracturing of the pillars, with the ground displaying significant cracks, causing extensive structural damage to the building.
"Over there, the other three buildings were not cut through by the earthquake fault line, so they only experienced minor damage. However, this building that was directly intersected by the fault line suffered severe damage, and it cannot be repaired. It can only be demolished and rebuilt," said Sun Baitao, a researcher at the Institute of Engineering Mechanics of the CEA.
Meanwhile in Sagaing, the expert group observed a large number of collapsed brick walls, with some low-rise buildings showing significant deformation and tilting. These buildings have been severely damaged and are no longer inhabitable.
As of April 26, the earthquake has claimed 3,769 lives and injured 5,106 people, with 107 others remaining unaccounted for, according to Myanmar's official data.
Chinese experts conduct quake assessment in Myanmar
A senior World Economic Forum (WEF) director has hailed China's rapid adoption of advanced technologies in manufacturing as well as the country's prudent investments in various emerging industries.
Gim Huay Neo, the WEF's Chair of Greater China, has visited several cutting-edge enterprises in Hangzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province this year. The experience has left her with a profound impression that China setting a model example in how new technologies can be applied to high-end production.
"Many of us took pictures of the robotic technologies that we saw. I met the innovators; I saw how technology and AI was being deployed into manufacturing processes. So there's a lot that we can learn from China in how technology, advanced practices, can be deployed to enhance productivity," said Neo, who is also Managing Director of the WEF's Centre for Nature and Climate.
Her comments underscored the WEF's ongoing research focus on how innovation is integrated into advanced manufacturing to boost productivity.
The Global Lighthouse Network (GLN), launched by the WEF in 2018, now comprises more than 200 factories around the globe. In September, 12 factories were incorporated into the network, with Chinese facilities accounting for half.
The GLN was formed when the WEF teamed up with McKinsey and Company in 2018 to identify the most innovative leaders in manufacturing. The WEF introduces the GLN as a globally recognized community transforming factory and value chain operations with Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, with each member indisputably a leader in its respective industry.
"Forty percent of the best lighthouses, we call them 'dengta', lighthouses around the world are actually in China. We have close to 50 percent of the best ways to deploy AI for people and planet being based in China as well. So yes, China is at the forefront of many of these areas. This country is now reaping the dividends of the investments into technology and people over the last decade and we're now seeing the dividends and the results of how this is made China very competitive across many industries," she said.
Senior WEF director witnesses China's leadership in tech-driven manufacturing
