Draft revision aims to bolster emergency response

The draft of the revised Emergency Response Law has been submitted to the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress, China's top legislature, for deliberation on Monday, proposing further improvement of the management and emergency support systems.

The ongoing session of the NPC Standing Committee runs from Monday to Friday in Beijing.

Since the current Emergency Response Law was promulgated and implemented in 2007, it has played an important role in preventing and reducing the occurrence of emergencies as well as controlling, alleviating and eliminating the serious social harm they cause, said Tang Yijun, minister of justice, when presenting the draft to the session on Monday in Beijing.

The management of emergency response has encountered some new situations and problems in recent years. In particular, COVID-19 has brought new challenges to the management of emergency response, which urgently needs to be addressed by amending the law, Tang said.

The draft suggests establishing a highly efficient national emergency management system under unified command and setting up online direct reporting and automatic rapid reporting systems to ensure timely transmission of information related to emergencies and their response management.

The draft also proposed to establish and improve the emergency supplies reserve system, dynamically update the catalogue of emergency supplies reserve varieties and improve the system of supervision, production, procurement, reserve, allocation and distribution of important emergency supplies.

Emergency transport and energy support systems were asked to be improved to ensure the timely transport of emergency supplies, personnel and energy in affected areas.

The draft also said the State should encourage citizens, legal persons and other organizations to reserve basic emergency self-rescue materials and daily necessities.

The draft proposed minors, the elderly, the disabled, pregnant and lactating women and other special groups should be given special and priority protection in emergency response and management.

Any authorities or individual that needs to obtain other people's personal information in emergency response shall obtain and ensure information security and shall not illegally collect, use, process or transmit personal information, it said.