China has achieved breakthroughs in emergency management and disaster response, cutting workplace fatalities and natural disaster losses while pivoting its national strategy toward prevention, said the Minister of Emergency Management Wang Xiangxi on Wednesday.
Wang made the remarks at a press conference highlighting China's emergency management gains during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), calling the progress both groundbreaking and historic.
"In terms of workplace safety, in 2024, the number of fatalities from nationwide production safety accidents decreased by 28.4 percent compared to the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. Meanwhile, the number of major and serious accidents dropped to a single digit for the first time, a decrease of 43.8 percent compared to the end of the same period. Furthermore, the number of both accidents and fatalities has continued to decline this year," said Wang.
"Regarding natural disasters, improvements are mainly highlighted by three aspects: the average number of affected persons, the number of deaths and missing persons due to disasters, and the ratio of direct economic losses from disasters to GDP. From 2021 to 2024, these have decreased by 31.3 percent, 23 percent, and 34.3 percent, respectively, compared to the 13th Five-Year Plan period," he added.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China's emergency management governance model steadily shifted toward pre-incident prevention. The country completed its first comprehensive national survey on natural disaster risks and launched targeted safety campaigns in key sectors with notable results, according to Wang.
He added that the national emergency command system was upgraded, material reserves and rescue forces were significantly reinforced, and aid delivery to disaster-hit communities became markedly more efficient.
In terms of safety risk monitoring and early warning, Wang said that China achieved real-time oversight of high-risk industries such as hazardous chemicals and coal mining, adding that automation and workforce reduction measures also contributed to improved workplace safety.
China makes breakthroughs in emergency management system, capacity-building: official
