Xi urges all-out rescue, relief efforts after mudslide hits border port in Xizang

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out efforts to search and rescue people who are missing after a mudslide in Nepal caused casualties at Gyirong border port in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Wednesday morning.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called for efforts to evacuate residents at risk and provide timely medical treatment to the injured to minimize casualties.

He made the instructions after a mudslide occurred at around 10:30 on Wednesday in Nepal, which caused severe casualties and left people unaccounted for at Gyirong border port in Gyirong County.

Xi also stressed the need to strengthen monitoring and early warning, ensure scientific rescue operations and guard against secondary disasters.

Noting that China is currently in a critical period of flood control, he urged local authorities and relevant departments to prepare for worst-case scenarios and extreme situations, fully implement measures for flood and typhoon prevention, and step up efforts to identify and address potential risks and hazards.

He demanded resolute action to prevent major and catastrophic disasters and accidents and safeguard people's lives and property.

Premier Li Qiang also issued instructions, calling for an immediate verification of the number of the missing and affected people and for all-out rescue and relief efforts.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, instructed the Foreign Ministry to strengthen communication and coordination with relevant countries, promptly share information and work together to properly handle rescue and relief efforts.

Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, led officials from relevant departments to the site to guide rescue and disaster-response operations.

Authorities in Xizang have mobilized forces to carry out search and rescue operations. All relevant operations are underway.

Xi urges all-out rescue, relief efforts after mudslide hits border port in Xizang

Xi urges all-out rescue, relief efforts after mudslide hits border port in Xizang

China will use its 15th Five-Year Plan covering 2026 to 2030 to expand national transportation links and promote smarter, greener mobility, a transport ministry official said Wednesday.

Priorities were outlined at the opening of the three-day 18th International Exhibition on Transport Technology and Equipment in Beijing.

During the previous five-year plan, China completed 91 percent of a planned nationwide transportation backbone, comprising major road, rail, and waterway corridors.

The country now has nearly 200,000 kilometers of expressways, more than 50,000 kilometers of high-speed railway lines, and 18,500 kilometers of high-grade inland waterways. Eight of the world's 10 largest ports are also in China.

Major projects have also produced advances in transportation engineering, including the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, a cross-sea transportation corridor in the southern province of Guangdong, and the Pinglu Canal in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence and other frontier technologies are reshaping the global transportation industry. During the 2026-2030 period, China plans to shift the sector's growth model toward structural improvements, smart and digital technologies, and greener development.

"Over the 15th Five-Year Plan period, we will focus on building a modern, high-quality national transportation network. We will promote greater integration, enhance safety, accelerate smart and digital upgrades, and advance the green transition, while building world-class infrastructure, technology, management, and services. These efforts will help accelerate China's development into a transportation powerhouse," Vice Minister of Transport Wang Gang said.

China's vast market and broad demand for technology applications will create more opportunities to test and scale new transport innovations, potentially spurring technological breakthroughs and globally competitive companies in the sector.

China outlines smarter, greener transport goals for 2026-2030