Xi calls for improving disaster prevention as floods, landslides batter China

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the nation to enhance its capacity for preventing, mitigating, and responding to natural disasters. This call comes in the wake of a summer marked by deadly floods and landslides across the country.

Xi's remarks, published in the Communist Party's journal Qiushi, highlight the growing threat posed by extreme weather events. He noted that global warming is significantly increasing the frequency and destructive impact of phenomena such as torrential rains, floods, typhoons, and droughts. This underscores the vulnerability of the world's second-largest economy to climate-related disasters.

The President emphasized a strategic shift towards proactive measures. This includes strengthening monitoring and early-warning systems, and addressing deficiencies in flood-control and drainage infrastructure, particularly in northern China. These comments were drawn from a speech delivered at a Politburo study session earlier in the year.

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As global warming continues, extreme weather events and disasters such as torrential rains, floods, typhoons, and droughts are increasing significantly, exacerbating their destructive impact.

Recent events have underscored the urgency of Xi's message. China experienced its strongest typhoon in 2026, which caused widespread disruption. In July, flash floods triggered landslides in Gansu province, resulting in 25 fatalities, while another landslide in Chongqing claimed 51 lives. Scientists link these increasingly destructive weather patterns to climate change, exacerbated by emerging El Nino patterns that boost temperatures and fuel more intense typhoons.

Xi reiterated China's commitment to safeguarding its people and maintaining social stability. He stressed that disaster risks must not compromise economic, energy, food, or social security. Furthermore, he advocated for the integration of advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, drones, and satellite remote sensing, into rescue and response efforts.

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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,”