Priority should be given to the management in emergency response so that more human and material resources could be used in social management and public service, said Minister of Civil Affairs Li Xueju in Beijing Saturday.

The responsibility of central and local governments in emergency response management should be clarified and coordination and information exchange between the management departments should be strengthened, Li said at the closing ceremony of a training class on disaster relief for officials at prefecture and city level.

Disaster prevention and the quick reaction system should be improved to increase the social ability to prevent and control disasters, especially in large cities with high density of population and buildings, Li said.

China has seen various mishaps this year, making it an urgent task for the government to build up disaster-warning networks.

In this July this year, the State Council, or China's cabinet, decided to set up a general emergency response plan, including 25 sub-plans for specific emergencies and 80 ministerial ones.

Source: Xinhua