New buildings reinforced for earthquakes

BEIJING - New buildings in all cities and counties will soon be required to be built to withstand earthquakes, a senior seismologist told China Daily in an exclusive interview.

The expanded requirements will extend earthquake protection to the one-fifth of the mainland previously not mandated to do so, said senior seismologist Gao Mengtan with China Earthquake Administration.

"It is the first time in half a century that China has put prevention of collapse at the core of its national seismic provisions for structures," said Gao, deputy chief of the agency's Institute of Geophysics.