Li hails rebuilding of quake-hit Tangshan

Premier Li Qiang commended on Tuesday the collective endeavor of the people of Tangshan to rebuild a modern city from the ruins of a devastating earthquake, saying that its transformation is a vivid example of the Party leading the public in overcoming great difficulties and challenges.

Li made the remarks during an inspection tour in Tangshan as the prefecture-level city in North China's Hebei province marked the 50th anniversary of the catastrophic temblor.

On July 28, 1976, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocked Tangshan in the early hours, claiming more than 240,000 lives, injuring over 160,000 and leaving 3,817 survivors paralyzed as hundreds of buildings were razed to the ground.

On Tuesday, entrusted by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Li made a visit to Tangshan.

At the Tangshan Earthquake Ruins Memorial Park, he laid a wreath on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, China's Cabinet, to solemnly remember those who died in the earthquake and to pay respects to the heroes who sacrificed their lives during relief work.

Li, who described the disaster as unforgettable and the relief efforts as deeply moving and inspiring, said that on the city's new journey, it is important to carry forward the spiritual strength sourced from battling a disaster and rebuilding lives.

The premier underlined the need to seize the opportunities of coordinated development in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, deepen reform and opening-up, adhere to innovation-driven development, and take solid steps to promote economic development and people's well-being to build the heroic city even better.

After years of reconstruction efforts, Tangshan saw its GDP reach more than 1 trillion yuan ($148 billion) in 2025, ranking first among all cities in Hebei.

As its economic mainstay is heavy industries, Tangshan has been working to upgrade its manufacturing sector, moving it up the value chain in recent years. Efforts have been made to develop emerging industries, including robotics, high-end equipment and environmentally friendly building materials.

During the inspection tour, Li called for continuously improving mechanisms for disaster monitoring and early warning, emergency response, rescue and relief, and post-disaster reconstruction, enhancing disaster prevention, mitigation and relief capabilities, and effectively safeguarding the lives and property of the people.

At a rescue operation base, the premier learned about the facility's various emergency response equipment and its development plans, and he spoke with rescue personnel. He noted that disaster prevention, mitigation and relief work are related to the safety of the people and to national security.

Li emphasized the need to carry out regular training and joint exercises to comprehensively enhance professional capabilities in emergency response and execute scientific and efficient rescue operations.

He called for strengthening support for emergency response equipment and using technology to enhance the precision and safety of rescue operations. He also called for vigorously carrying out science promotion to enhance the awareness and ability of the public to escape danger when a disaster strikes.

As the country is facing the critical annual period of heavy rainfall and flooding, Li said that efforts should be made to strengthen disaster monitoring and early-warning systems and stockpile sufficient relief materials and emergency response equipment, in order to respond promptly and scientifically to disasters.

On Tuesday, Li also toured a rehabilitation center for quake survivors in Tangshan. He learned about the facility's development initiatives and interacted with patients left paraplegic by the earthquake.

He called for improving medical rehabilitation and daily care services as well as strengthening the application of technological innovation in rehabilitation to constantly enhance the services for the disabled.

caodesheng@chinadaily.com.cn