Guiyang vows swift action on emergencies, other public concerns

Authorities in Guiyang, capital city of Southwest China’s Guizhou Province vowed to respond to major emergencies within five hours and to brief media on the cases within 24 hours.

A document released on Monday said the city attaches greater importance to the timely response to public concerns, and authorities will act on them within 48 hours, Guiyang Evening News reported on Wednesday.

Relevant local government agencies must properly respond to livelihood issues like education, disaster prevention, and food and medicine security, according to the Guiyang government’s website.

Authorities must provide timely early warnings, scientific analysis, proper disposal and effective response to public concerns on national policies, which could affect government credibility and violate the moral bottom line, the document said.

China has been stressing the importance of responding to public concerns for some time. The Office of the State Council released documents in 2016 and 2018 on the issue, insisting that local governments establish comprehensive mechanisms and actively respond to matters people care about, people.cn reported.

The Guiyang government also included 21 specific requirements of its work, such as transparency on poverty alleviation and sharing big data, to build a service-oriented government.

Other local governments have given similar orders. In April 2017, Beijing issued a document requiring a response to emergencies within five hours. East China’s Zhejiang Province’s government announced in May it would brief media within 24 hours of an emergency.