Premier Li Qiang Calls for Upgraded Disaster Preparedness in Tangshan

Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited Tangshan, Hebei Province on July 28 to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1976 earthquake relief efforts. Entrusted by Xi Jinping, Li laid a flower basket at the earthquake memorial and visited local rehabilitation facilities. He called for upgrading national and local disaster prevention, early warning, and emergency response capabilities, while urging Tangshan to leverage the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regional integration strategy to advance economic and social development ahead of the 15th Five-Year Plan.

Premier Li Qiang's visit signals the Chinese leadership's focus on embedding disaster risk management into long-term economic planning. By emphasizing 'extreme scenario thinking' during a major historical milestone, Beijing is highlighting the need for resilient infrastructure, integrated emergency response systems, and regional coordination as critical components of national security and modern urban governance.

On July 28, Chinese Premier Li Qiang conducted an inspection and condolence tour in Tangshan, Hebei Province, marking the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Tangshan earthquake relief and post-disaster reconstruction efforts [6a68abb3af67af850f71e6ca]. Entrusted by General Secretary Xi Jinping, Li emphasized the critical need to continuously enhance China's disaster prevention, reduction, and relief capabilities, calling for a governance approach grounded in bottom-line thinking and extreme scenario preparedness [6a68abb3af67af850f71e6ca]. During the visit, Li laid a flower basket on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council at the Tangshan Earthquake Relic Memorial Park, honoring the victims and heroes of the 1976 disaster [6a68abb3af67af850f71e6ca]. He noted that over the past half-century, Tangshan had successfully rebuilt itself from ruins into a modern industrial city, describing the recovery as a testament to effective national leadership and public resilience [6a68abb3af67af850f71e6ca]. Looking ahead, Li instructed local authorities to align Tangshan's development with the core targets of the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan [6a68abb3af67af850f71e6ca]. He urged the city to capitalize on opportunities within the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development strategy, drive innovation, and deepen reform [6a68abb3af67af850f71e6ca]. Li also inspected the Tangshan Paraplegic Sanatorium to review operations and meet with survivors paralyzed during the 1976 earthquake, expressing ongoing central government support for public welfare and rehabilitation services [6a68abb3af67af850f71e6ca]. Beyond social care, Li stressed the necessity of comprehensive structural reforms in emergency governance [6a68abb3af67af850f71e6ca]. He called for refining mechanisms across monitoring, early warning, emergency response, rescue operations, and post-disaster recovery, ensuring that institutional and technical frameworks are robust enough to safeguard public safety against increasingly complex natural hazards [6a68abb3af67af850f71e6ca].