China releases regulation to improve earthquake resistance of construction projects

BEIJING -- Premier Li Keqiang has signed a State Council decree to publish a regulation to improve the earthquake resistance of construction projects.

The regulation, which will go into effect on September 1, listed measures to strengthen the earthquake resistance of construction projects and clarified relevant supervisory duties.

New, expansion and reconstruction projects should meet the compulsory standard for earthquake resistance, the regulation said, stressing the responsibilities of relevant parties during construction processes.

For completed construction projects, the regulation requires the evaluation, reinforcement and maintenance of their earthquake-resistant structures and shock-mitigating devices.

It also specified the importance of efforts to improve the anti-seismic properties of buildings in rural areas, and stipulated policy support for earthquake-resistant technologies and legal liabilities for regulation violations.