“The safety and security preparations for the summit are on track, with all critical role players ready to execute their various responsibilities as per their mandate,” said Deputy National Police Commissioner Tebello Mosikili.
“We are prepared to receive the leaders of the BRICS in a secured and safe environment,” said Mosikili, also co-chair of the country’s National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS).
In order to prevent and battle any sort of opportunistic crime, prior to, during, and after the summit, Mosikili indicated that the NATJOINTS would increase police visibility around the summit’s venue.
Any threats and disruptions will be dealt with decisively within the ambit of the law, she said. “To this end, high density operations through increased roadblocks, vehicle checkpoints, high police visibility on foot, and air patrols will be conducted.”
BRICS is the grouping of the world’s leading emerging market economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
The heavy overall rains in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region caused anomalous floods in several districts of Beijing and several localities in north China’s Hebei Province in the past few days.
At urgent times, the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core kept standing firm in putting the people first and once again provided powerful backing for all those affected.
{{Beijing must stand the test }}
Landing on the southeast Chinese coast on July 28, Typhoon Doksuri had not kept its realm in southern China as many other typhoons that weakened after landing but continued moving northward, bringing rain clouds to northern China.
President Xi closely followed the development of Doksuri, stressing that special precautions should be taken in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
Late July and early August are the usual rainy season in China. In early July, Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, asked relevant authorities to enhance coordination, step up monitoring and early warning, and provide targeted guidance over disaster prevention and rescue efforts.
In the face of Doksuri, authorities immediately mobilized, and multiple disaster alerts for mountain torrents, floods and waterlogging were announced.
Typhoon Doksuri brought heavy downpours in north China and resulted in floods and geological disasters.
On July 30, over 2,800 passengers were trapped on the K396, K1178 and Z180 trains in Beijing due to railways cut off by the rainfalls, facing a shortage of food and water and no communication signals.
The situation quickly came to Xi’s notice and he immediately made instructions.
“Local authorities and relevant departments must get in touch with the trains and make every effort to arrange rescue and give out food and drugs to ensure the safety of the trapped passengers,” Xi said in an instruction.
During the following days of rescue, Xi repeatedly stressed sound logistics guarantees for those temporarily settling where the trains were stuck, urging efforts to transfer trapped passengers to Beijing as soon as possible while ensuring their safety.
On Aug. 3, all the passengers were able to leave the temporary settlement spots.
Amid the rescue, Xi continued to give instructions concerning all those suffering from the natural disaster, stressing efforts to make appropriate arrangements for people affected by the floods and geological disasters, promptly repair damaged infrastructure, including transportation, telecommunications and electricity facilities, and restore order in work and life as soon as possible.
Party members and officials must charge forward, and primary-level Party organizations must play their roles so that the people can feel like they have something to rely upon, said Xi.
“As a modernized metropolis, Beijing must stand the test,” he said.
{{All-out rescue efforts in Hebei }}
When Beijing was drenched, rainstorms also swept half of the counties and city districts in neighboring Hebei. Around 2.2 million people were affected.
Zhuozhou City in Hebei saw 60 percent of its urban areas immersed in water up to 6 meters deep.
Xi was deeply concerned about the disaster situation in Hebei. He learned about the water levels in places including Zhuozhou and instructed the province to mobilize rescuers and resources to promptly evacuate trapped individuals, ensure effective drainage in urban areas, and expedite restoring normal urban operations.
On Aug. 1, Xi demanded all-out search and rescue efforts to find people missing or trapped in floods.
The Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee has allocated 44 million yuan (about 6.16 million U.S. dollars) in funds to assist with flood control and disaster relief work in Beijing, Hebei and Tianjin.
On Aug. 4, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Water Resources allocated 450 million yuan for disaster relief in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei.
On the same day, the country earmarked an additional 100 million yuan from its central budget to assist in rehabilitation in Tianjin and Hebei.
Local authorities in Hebei mobilized large rescue forces to the flood-hit areas: 4,705 rescue teams consisting of 105,988 members were formed, and emergency departments of various levels exchanged information daily with the teams.
On Xi’s instructions, the central government and Beijing also sent support. The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the National Health Commission sent work teams and experts to guide the rescue efforts on site. Beijing Drainage Group dispatched four units of large-scale water pumps, 14 vehicles and 63 technicians to assist with water drainage.
Currently, the ongoing rain has significantly eased, but flood prevention remains a tough challenge.
Xi emphasized that all regions and relevant departments must strengthen monitoring, forecasting and early warning efforts and enhance inspection measures.
On Aug. 4, Xi warned the disaster-affected areas, especially those in mountainous regions, to be vigilant against secondary disasters and not lower their guard.
Authorities in Hebei strived to ensure the safety of flood detention areas and made every effort to minimize losses caused by flood detention.
As of Aug. 4, about 1.6 million people have been evacuated in Hebei, and expressways have all reopened. In the worst-hit Zhuozhou, all 402 villages resumed contact with the outside world, and electricity supplies were restored in 75 urban neighborhoods suffering power cuts due to the flood.
“After the rescue teams cleared the roads, villagers actively took part in relief efforts and transported supplies,” said Zhao Feifei, Party chief of Qiyu Township in the city of Baoding, Hebei Province, where a landslide took place.
“We are confident that we can help people restore normal life and production soon,” she added.
Amid the fierce competition of the Games, student-athletes toured the city to experience the leisure and the ancient charm and vitality of the capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province.
Eduard Zdenovec of the Czech Technical University in Prague, who had just finished competing in the judo competition, was impressed by the variety of traditional Chinese cultural experiences, such as shuttlecock kicking, and Touhu (arrow throwing), at the Wangjianglou Park.
“Chengdu is a very beautiful city, and all the people here are very warm,” Zdenovec said.
In order to make guests from around the world feel the unique charm of local culture, the Executive Committee of the Chengdu Universiade connected 16 key cultural exchange activities into 11 urban cultural sightseeing experience routes.
As the hometown of giant pandas, Sichuan has attracted many international athletes who were keen to have a close look at giant pandas besides participating in the Games.
At the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, college athletes from Colombia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and other countries took out their mobile phones to take photos and videos of the giant pandas, and some couldn’t help but make video calls with their families to share the “moving” pandas they saw.
“It’s so cute! I never thought I could see a real panda. I really want to hug it,” said Ana Maria Zapata, a Colombian women’s volleyball player. She and her teammates were fascinated by giant pandas even before they came to China. Although they just lost to the Japanese women’s volleyball team the day before, the lovely giant pandas made the players completely forget the result of the competition.
Since the launch of the cultural tourism activities on July 29, thousands have signed up to participate.
Kanykei Kubanychbekova, a shooting player from Kyrgyzstan, said that a walk on the streets of Chengdu made her realize that China is a country where history and modernity blend.
Since its inception, the World University Games has always been a celebration of youth, solidarity, and friendship, where young people can view diversity from an equal, inclusive, and friendly perspective, and see different cultures with an attitude of mutual appreciation and mutual learning.
Wang Bingshen, who is from Sichuan International Studies University, served as a language service volunteer during the FISU Games. While communicating with foreign athletes, he felt that the event has given people from across the world a chance to communicate face to face, and many foreign young athletes have changed their understandings of China.
This experience also made Wang deeply understand that university students all over the world are actually alike.
“We are all energetic young people. We could find similar musical tastes, and be happy with the same things,” said Wang. “We would also joke together, and talk about difficult exams and interesting experiences as well.”
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, urged the province to write a new chapter in advancing Chinese modernization.
He said that it is imperative to apply the new development philosophy, forge a new pattern of development and promote common prosperity across the board and throughout economic and social development.
He urged more efforts to advance the transformation of the model, driving force, areas and quality of development to break new ground in the country’s high-quality development.
During the Sichuan tour, Xi visited places including Guangyuan and Deyang cities from July 25 to 27.
On Tuesday afternoon, he went to Guangyuan and visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as “Shudao.”
Xi walked along the ancient road and took a close look at the ancient cypress forest that has been well preserved.
Xi stressed the importance of building institutional frameworks and their implementation as well as inspiring the people’s motivation, initiative and creativity to consolidate and expand the achievements in ecological conservation.
On Wednesday afternoon, Xi visited the new building of the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang. Sanxingdui Ruins are the remnants of an ancient capital and represent the ancient Shu civilization.
After touring the exhibition halls, Xi went to the venue for relic preservation and repair, where he carefully observed the procedures, details, and latest techniques. Xi also talked with the staff on site.
He stressed more state support for the preservation and repair of cultural relics, describing the work as a long-term task.
Xi also called for promoting craftsmanship and perseverance to yield more achievements in this regard.
On Thursday morning, Xi was briefed by the Sichuan provincial Party committee and government about their work, and recognized their efforts in various respects.
He urged Sichuan to make more progress in sci-tech innovation, the building of a modern industrial system, rural revitalization and the consolidation of ecological shields along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River.
Opening up new areas of development with sci-tech innovation is an urgent requirement for high-quality development, Xi said, calling on Sichuan to give full play to its strengths and make efforts on both sci-tech innovation and the application of scientific and technological achievements.
He asked the province to resolve problems concerning a number of core technologies in key fields and to become an innovation hub in western China.
Relying on its unique advantages in manufacturing, Sichuan should actively contribute to the safety of the country’s industrial and supply chains, and dock itself with the new industrial layout in China’s eastern coastal areas in a high-quality manner, Xi said.
Stressing the deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy, Xi called on the province to build a modernized industrial system with Sichuan characteristics and strengths.
He urged Sichuan to put rural revitalization in a prominent position and further take on the responsibilities of stabilizing the production and ensuring the supply of major agricultural products such as grain, hogs and oilseed crops.
Xi stressed that Sichuan should enhance ecological conservation, move faster to build a national park-based nature reserve system, and actively advocate eco-friendly and low-carbon ways of work and life.
Xi urged Sichuan to keep skies blue, waters clear, and lands pollution-free by higher standards, improve the compensation system for ecological conservation, and elevate the modernization of ecological environment governance.
Xi pointed out that as Sichuan is a place with frequent natural disasters, it is necessary to strengthen the building of emergency response forces.
July and August mark the time the Yangtze River basin enters its main flood season, Xi said, calling for efforts to make preparations for flood control and disaster relief and minimize casualties and property losses to the greatest extent.
Xi also urged Sichuan to comprehensively check the hidden dangers of workplace safety, and resolutely prevent and contain the occurrence of major workplace safety accidents.
On the education campaign launched by the CPC, Xi urged Party organizations at all levels to fully carry out the CPC Central Committee’s plans and make practical progress as the first round of the campaign will conclude in less than two months.
On Saturday, Xi visited Hanzhong in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province on his way back to Beijing. During his visit to the municipal museum, Xi emphasized making good use of museums. He also called for efforts to expand the influence of Chinese culture.
“I was in Hanzhong in 2008 after the devastating Wenchuan earthquake to oversee the relief work. Hanzhong has always been in my heart over the years,” Xi told local residents who gathered around him when he was leaving the museum. Xi said he was delighted to see huge changes of the city since then.
In Hanzhong, Xi also visited a wetland park, where he stressed the important responsibility and great significance of protecting the wetland resources in the area along the Hanjiang River and its tributaries.
He urged efforts to improve the overall protection and systematic restoration of the wetland ecosystem.
Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, accompanied Xi on the inspection tour.
Xi made the remarks while addressing a welcoming banquet ahead of the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade in southwest China’s Sichuan Province.
Xi made the remarks while addressing a welcoming banquet ahead of the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China’s Sichuan Province.
Garibashvili is here to attend the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games and visit China.
Over the past 31 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Georgia have consolidated political mutual trust and scored remarkable achievements in cooperation in various fields, Xi said.
He said that during Garibashvili’s visit, both sides will issue a joint statement and announce the establishment of China-Georgia strategic partnership.
Taking this as a new starting point, China and Georgia should plan bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, promote the sound and steady development of the strategic partnership, and provide momentum for the development and revitalization of both countries, Xi said.
