Chinese authorities on Monday updated a Level-III emergency response for disaster relief as heavy rains have led to flooding in east China's Anhui Province.
The China National Commission for Disaster Reduction has dispatched a team to inspect the disaster situation and offer guidance and support to local disaster relief endeavors, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.
Rainstorms in Anhui have affected 811,000 residents and forced 195,000 people to evacuate, local authorities said on Sunday.
China has a four-level emergency response system for disaster relief, with Level IV being the lowest level and Level I the highest.
On Monday, heavy rain continued in Hefei City, the capital of the province, with more than 70 percent of weather monitoring stations reporting rainfall exceeding 50 mm.
The downpour caused the water level of a river near a residential compound to rise, leading to water overflowing the river bank and causing serious flooding in the residential area. Many residents on the first floor had their homes flooded.
Upon receiving the alarm, rescuers were dispatched to the site to evacuate residents and drain the accumulated water.
Nearby communities have also been affected, experiencing water-logging and power failures. The power supply department is currently racing against time to repair electrical lines.
Since June 22, continuous downpours have lashed Susong County in Anqing City, flooding seedlings in nearly 10,000 mu (about 666 hectares) of rice fields. Local departments are rushing to drain the water.
On Sunday, the local power supply department worked continuously for two days to install a 1,500-meter-long electrical line. This line provides a stable power supply to the drainage device, enabling it to operate 24 hours a day and pump out the accumulated water.
China launches emergency response for flood-hit Anhui
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday that as the core platform for practicing multilateralism and advancing global governance, the United Nations' role can only be strengthened, not weakened.
Xi made the remarks when meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana.
No matter how the international situation changes, China always adheres to genuine multilateralism and supports the United Nations in playing a central role in international affairs, he said.
All countries in the world belong to a community with a shared future, Xi said.
Noting that the ship of humanity will not sail smoothly into the future, he said the international community must work together to ensure that the ship is always sailing in the right direction.
The Chinese side supports the UN Summit of the Future, and hopes that it will send a positive signal of upholding multilateralism, strengthening solidarity and cooperation, and making global governance more just and reasonable, he said.
China also supports the United Nations in playing a leading role in advancing the reform of the international financial architecture and the global governance of artificial intelligence, Xi added.
Guterres said that the current international order, especially the international financial mechanism, needs to be reformed to adapt to the development and changes of the international situation.
The United Nations, he said, is willing to make every effort to promote the adjustment of the international financial architecture and artificial intelligence global governance, so as to make global governance more just and reasonable and more conducive to the common development of developing countries.
He thanked China for supporting the cause of the United Nations, practicing multilateralism and playing a key and constructive role in promoting world peace and development.
The future of humanity largely depends on China, he said, adding that the United Nations looks forward to further strengthening communication and cooperation with China.
Xi says UN's role as core platform for practicing multilateralism should be strengthened
