The heavy rainfalls hitting central China's Henan and Hubei Provinces over the recent days have triggered a slew of timely responses to save the civilians who were trapped in dangerous places like a closed car or inundated residential buildings.
Rescue workers in Henan's Lushan County came to the aid of a taxi driver whose car had been swept away by heavy rains as she drove across a flooded bridge on Tuesday.
The dramatic rescue operation saw emergency workers firing ropes across a rain-swollen river to reach the stranded driver, who was trapped in her car, before helping her back to safety.
The lucky driver broke into tears as she hugged friends and relatives who had been waiting anxiously by the riverside.
In Hubei Province, residents in Xianfeng County have also been struggling to cope with the effects of days of heavy rain.
A primary school in a low-lying region of the county was severely flooded, with water levels exceeding one meter trapping over 20 people inside the school's residential buildings.
Rescue workers in rubber dinghies helped the trapped residents down from a balcony on the second floor before relocating them to safe sites.
"At that time, the water was turbulent, and the dinghy couldn't be secured properly. The distance between the second floor and the dinghy was a little far and a little high, so they had to step on our shoulders," said Tian Renhao, one of the rescuers in the operation.
The heavy rain in Xianfeng eased on Wednesday allowing the 18,000 residents who had been relocated on Tuesday because of the bad weather to begin returning home.
Heavy rainfalls trigger lifesaving emergency responses in China's Henan, Hubei
Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang called for enhanced bilateral cooperation and friendship with Singapore when he met with Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Monday.
Ding, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said that the long-term and stable development of China-Singapore relations has benefited from the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, who have upheld the correct political direction.
The two sides should continue to enhance mutual trust, respect each other's core interests, and ensure the steady and sustained progress of their friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation, he said.
Gan said that Singapore highly values its relations with China, firmly upholds the one-China principle, opposes the secessionist forces in Taiwan, and is willing to maintain close exchanges with China at all levels to promote greater development of bilateral relations.
Ding and Gan co-chaired four China-Singapore mechanism meetings on bilateral cooperation, namely, the 21st meeting of the China-Singapore Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation, the 26th meeting of the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park Joint Steering Council, the 17th meeting of the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Joint Steering Council, and the ninth meeting of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity Joint Steering Council.
They comprehensively reviewed and summarized the progress of practical cooperation between the two countries, clarifying the direction and priorities for cooperation in the next stage.
Both sides agreed to deepen the alignment of development plans, promote the upgrading of major projects, cultivate and strengthen new quality productive forces, jointly safeguard the multilateral trading system, and better promote the development of both countries and the prosperity and stability of the region.
Following the meetings, Ding and Gan witnessed together the exhibition of achievements in China-Singapore cooperation, and attended the launching ceremony of two freight trains under the China-Singapore Multi-modal Demonstration Project. They also visited the comprehensive exhibition hall of China-Singapore interconnectivity projects and Chongqing digital city operation and governance center.
At the invitation of Ding, Gan is on a visit to China from December 15 to 16.
Chinese vice premier calls for enhanced cooperation with Singapore
