Chinese President Xi Jinping urged stronger disaster prevention and response after a summer of deadly floods and landslides, with remarks published in the Communist Party journal Qiushi. He called for pre-disaster planning, better monitoring and early warnings, and upgrades to flood-control and drainage in northern China. Xi also recommended using technologies such as AI, drones and satellite remote sensing, and warned that disaster risks must not threaten economic, energy, food or social security.
Xi Calls For Stronger Disaster Preparedness After Deadly Typhoon and Landslides in China
Residents push a vehicle as they wade through a flooded street, following heavy rainfall brought by remnants of Typhoon Dolphin, in Xuchang, Henan province, China August 13, 2026. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
BEIJING, Aug 15 — Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for bolstering the country's ability to prevent, mitigate and respond to natural disasters after a summer of deadly floods and landslides.
Xi's remarks, published on Saturday in Qiushi, the Communist Party's flagship theory journal, followed the nation's strongest typhoon this year and a string of landslides that together claimed dozens of lives. The comments were drawn from a speech Xi delivered at a Politburo study session on April 28.
"As global warming continues, extreme weather events and disasters such as torrential rains, floods, typhoons, and droughts are increasing significantly, exacerbating their destructive impact," Xi said in the article.
He urged a shift toward pre-disaster prevention and stronger monitoring and early-warning systems. Xi also called for targeted upgrades to flood-control and drainage infrastructure in northern China to close critical gaps ahead of the flood season.
Measures and Technology
Xi emphasized that disaster risks must not be allowed to spill over into economic, energy, food or social security. He recommended wider use of modern technologies—such as artificial intelligence, drones and satellite remote sensing—to improve rescue operations, damage assessment and situational awareness.
Key recent events cited in the article include intense rains from the country's strongest typhoon this year that inundated major roads in the capital and left vehicles stranded, flash-flood-triggered landslides in northwestern Gansu province that killed 25 people, and a separate mountain collapse in Chongqing that left 51 dead.
Scientists increasingly link the rise in destructive weather to climate change, and meteorologists say an emerging El Niño pattern this year has raised temperatures and may be contributing to more frequent and intense typhoons.
"China will continuously improve our ability and level of prevention and response to various natural disasters, and effectively safeguard the lives and property of the people and social stability," Xi said, stressing coordinated planning across local and national agencies.
The article in Qiushi summarizes Xi's guidance as China grapples with a season of extreme weather and mounting pressure to strengthen disaster resilience.
(Reporting by Ziyi Tang, Xiangming Hou and Ryan Woo; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
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