Xi stresses people first in fighting disasters
BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for all-out efforts in the prevention, rescue and relief work regarding floods and geological disasters, and ensuring people’s lives and safety as the top priority.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in an instruction since the country has entered its rainy season.
More rainstorms have been reported since June in many parts of southern China, triggering floods and geological disasters. Xi commended the efforts made by local governments, noting that positive results have been achieved in flood prevention and rescue work.
As many places have entered their flood seasons, with some facing tough situations amid the approaching typhoon season, Xi required the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and other departments to strengthen coordination and provide effective guidance in flood and typhoon prevention.
Xi stressed the need to put people first, and value people’s lives most in the combat against floods. He also underscored the necessity to coordinate epidemic prevention with flood control and disaster relief work, combine prevention preparations with emergency response, strengthen flood monitoring and promptly identify risks.
He also demanded allout efforts from relevant departments to organize emergency rescue and disaster relief, help the afflicted get back on their feet, maintain social and production orders in the disaster areas, and make solid efforts to ensure people’s lives and safety as the top priority.
Meanwhile, Chinese lawmakers on Sunday started deliberating a new draft amendment to the country’s Criminal Law.
The draft amendment to the Criminal Law, which has proposed six major areas of updates, was submitted to an ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature.
The updates, some 30 revised or newly added provisions, mainly focus on stepping up the prevention of and penalties for workplace safety crimes, improving stipulations for penalizing food and drug safety crimes and stipulations for financial crimes, strengthening legal protection of corporate property rights and strengthening legal guarantee for public health, according to the draft.
Drawing on the experience of fighting Covid- 19, the draft has revised the definition of the crimes of impairing infectious disease prevention and treatment.
Refusing to follow the lawful measures imposed by the government for epidemic prevention and control, and illegally selling or shipping contaminated objects in epidemic-hit regions are considered criminal acts, according to the draft.
In rectifying wrongdoings in the financial sector, the draft toughens the penalties for the crime of “illegally taking in deposits from the general public,” a form of illegal fundraising, extending its maximum term of sentence from 10 years to 15 years. The draft also outlaws violence-related debt-collecting activities and jobs.
The draft has added a new crime of “corporate espionage.” People who are found guilty of stealing, spying into, buying or unlawfully supplying business secrets for overseas organizations and individuals will bear criminal responsibilities.
To safeguard biosecurity, the draft stipulates penalties for illegally implanting gene-edited or cloned embryos into human bodies or animals.
Dovetailing the Law on the Protection of Heroes and Martyrs, the draft also considers insulting and defaming heroes and martyrs as crimes. XINHUA