The State Council, China's cabinet, issued on Sunday a national plan on emergency response, which will become a guidance on prevention and treatment of various incidents in China.

The emergency response plan aims to increase the government's capability to protect public safety, deal with unexpected incidents, minimize the losses of the incidents, maintain social stability, and promote the harmonious and sustainable development of the country.

The plan stipulates that the State Council is the highest organ in the management of emergency response. An office in charge of emergency response management will be set up by the State Council to collect information of various incidents and coordinate the emergence response work.

The plan details the prescriptions on various aspects including forecast, report, emergency response, investigation and evaluation of incidents. It also clarifies the responsibilities of the departments in the fields of manpower, finance, material resources, transportation, medical care, communications and so on.

Those who make outstanding contributions to emergency response will be awarded, while those who fail to report the true state of incidents or cover up accidents will be punished according to law and regulations, the plan says.

Incidents are divided into four categories by the plan, including natural disasters, accidents, public health incidents and social safety incidents. They are also ranked into four classes according to the incident's character, its degree of harm, its controlling possibility and its scale of influence.

The plan applies to dealing with serious incidents involving several provinces.

All the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have also made corresponding plans. Therefore, an elementary emergency response framework has been set up in China.

(Xinhua News Agency January 8, 2006)