China, Central Asian nations to establish emergency management cooperation mechanism

China and five Central Asian nations will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) late this month to establish a China-Central Asia emergency management cooperation mechanism, a Chinese official has said.

At a press conference in Beijing on Monday, Wang Manda, director-general of the international cooperation department of China's Ministry of Emergency Management, said that the MoU is expected to be signed during a China-Central Asia ministerial meeting on emergency management scheduled to be held in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on May 30.

"All parties to the meeting will sign a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of a China-Central Asia emergency management cooperation mechanism, approve future action plans, visit relevant units and enterprises, help countries comprehensively improve the capabilities in disaster prevention, mitigation and relief, safety production supervision, comprehensive emergency response, and deepen collaboration in cross-border rescue," said Wang.

The parties will also conduct practical training exercises for emergency response to oil and gas pipeline incidents.

"Xinjiang, with its unique geographical advantages, will carry out cooperation in the following areas: first, strengthening cooperation in systems and mechanisms for joint prevention and control of natural disasters; second, enhancing exchanges and cooperation in cross-border emergency rescue; third, boosting cooperation in joint prevention and control of border forest and grassland fire; fourth, intensifying cooperation in earthquake and geological disaster prevention and control," said Jarin Nurhamiti, head of Xinjiang's emergency management department.

"We have carried out a number of sci-tech cooperation projects with Central Asian countries, such as joint GPS observation of Tianshan Mountains in Central Asia, construction of a seismic and geomagnetic monitoring network, and source identification and risk analysis of violent earthquakes in the subduction zone located between Xinjiang and Central Asia. These projects have provided valuable data and sci-tech support for earthquake disaster prevention and reduction in Xinjiang and Central Asian countries," said Zhu Fangfang, deputy head of the department for science and technology and international collaboration under the China Earthquake Administration.

Since the first China-Central Asia Summit in May 2023, emergency management departments in China and the five Central Asian countries have been committed to creating a new platform for regional emergency management cooperation, and to deepening cross-border rescue cooperation.

Under the framework of China-Central Asia emergency management cooperation, China has hosted several events over the past year, including high-level think tank forums on emergency management, seminars on improving production safety, and activities to exchange ideas on safety risk prevention.

China, Central Asian nations to establish emergency management cooperation mechanism

The coordination between Iran, China and Russia is vital for addressing new challenges facing the international community, an Iranian political analyst said on Friday.

Foad Izadi, the analyst, made the remarks while commenting on a trilateral meeting on the Iranian nuclear issue held in Beijing on the same day.

The meeting, chaired by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu and attended by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov Sergey Alexeevich and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, focused on exploring potential pathways to revive diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving Iran's nuclear issue.

The development comes as the Trump administration has pushed for negotiations on a new agreement that would permanently prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.

During a press briefing following the meeting, Vice Foreign Minister Ma emphasized that the involved parties should work to address the root causes of the current crisis, stating that China, Iran, and Russia reject both the use of sanctions and the threat of military force.

"In Eurasia, we have three major countries: Iran, China, and Russia. So, coordination between these countries, given the fact that there are new challenges facing the international community, is going to be important. I think this is why the three countries are getting together in Beijing," Izadi told China Global Television Network (CGTN).

Beijing's statement also underscored the importance of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, which formally endorses the 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers.

China reiterated its readiness to support diplomatic solutions to break the deadlock over Iran's nuclear program.

"Iran-China relations are good. It is not in the interest of China for Iran to face more difficulties from the United States," Izadi pointed out.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has revealed that a new proposal is under consideration, which could help resolve outstanding issues between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The timing of this "new proposal," coinciding with Trump's letter to Iran and the Beijing meeting, could help sustain a glimmer of hope for the continuation of nuclear negotiations, according to experts.

Iran-China-Russia coordination vital for addressing challenges: analyst