Chinese vice premier stresses ensuring people's safety in flood control, disaster relief

CHANGCHUN, Aug. 2 -- Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing has stressed the importance of putting the people's safety first, ensuring the basic needs of those affected by floods, and minimizing the losses resulting from the disaster.

Zhang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when he visited affected residents and inspected flood control work in the northeastern province of Jilin from Thursday to Friday.

Zhang underscored the need to deploy professionals to the front line, and to use equipment such as drones and radar to identify potential hazards promptly and ensure the safety of infrastructure such as dikes and reservoirs.

He also urged efforts to evacuate impacted residents early and quickly to prevent casualties, monitor rainfall and flooding precisely, and strengthen funding and material support for affected regions.

Local authorities should repair damaged infrastructure, carry out drainage and dredging work, and help impacted regions restore normal life and production as soon as possible, Zhang said.