Systems 'needed' to combat disasters

China urgently needs an efficient early warning system for natural disasters, which are becoming more common, an expert said last week.

Over the next 15 years, China is likely to experience repeated earthquakes measuring 7 and above on the Richter scale, Teng Jiwen, a geophysicist and member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said.

Teng, who is also a member of the State Council's expert committee for the Sichuan earthquake, said at a forum last week that in recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of earthquakes measuring 7.8 and above around the world.