Cai Qi, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), attended a meeting on the planning and construction of the Chinese capital in Beijing on Friday.
Cai, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made remarks at this plenary meeting of the Capital Planning and Construction Committee, which he heads.
According to the meeting, this year marks the concluding year of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), and the five-year assessments of the Beijing urban master plan, development control plan for the core zone serving capital functions, and the development control plan for Beijing Municipal Administrative Center are set to be carried out.
The meeting emphasized the need to further support the functions of the central authorities, provide services for major events, strengthen comprehensive protection capabilities, promote city resilience, and improve the emergency management system.
The meeting called for advancing the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, enhancing the joint construction and sharing of public services, and building a convenient commuting circle around Beijing.
Senior CPC official attends meeting on capital planning, construction
Multiple Chinese rescue teams have arrived in the disaster-stricken areas in Myanmar, rushing to work with local responders around the clock to search for survivors following the massive and devastating earthquake that occurred on Friday.
In the hard-hit city of Mandalay, many Chinese rescuers have been working nearly 20 hours to search for lives among collapsed buildings and under the rubble.
The operation has faced significant hurdles with repeated aftershocks in the city complicating the rescue efforts. Despite these challenges, Chinese rescuers have made notable progress, as two dedicated rescue corridors have been established to accelerate the search and rescue process.
So far Chinese teams have rescued six survivors in severely-hit Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay. The rescuers combed through the ruins of apartments, hotels and hospitals to find signs of life. Continuous aftershocks, power cuts, destroyed roads and communication interruptions made their rescue work even harder.
Meanwhile, more Chinese rescue teams are heading to Myanmar, bringing in earthquake experts, structural engineers, medical personnel and canine units, as well as life detectors, demolition equipment and field hospital systems.
Despite challenges like confined working areas, frequent aftershocks, residual fires and dense smoke, local and international rescuers are racing against time, hoping to save more people as the crucial 72-hour window of earthquake rescue closes.
The death toll from the 7.9-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has risen to 2,056, with approximately 3,900 people injured and nearly 270 reported missing, according to the country's State Administration Council Information Team on Monday.
Chinese rescuers race against time in Myanmar quake relief
