Central government officials vowed yesterday to enhance the nation's disaster prevention and emergency services, acting on concerns expressed by members of China's leading political advisory body.

"It is important for the government to play a leading role to make general and specific policies on emergency services and utilize the resources to carry out disaster reduction activities," said Zhang Meiying, a member of the 10th National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top advisory body.

At yesterday's high-level workshop, which discussed a proposal raised by CPPCC members from the China Democratic League, officials from the central government vowed to enhance disaster prevention, combined with disaster fighting and relief efforts.

Every year, the average direct and indirect economic loss caused by disaster accounts for about 5 per cent of nation's GDP, according to Li Baojun, an official from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

China is confronted by a range of natural and man-made hazards. Floods in 1996 cost direct economic losses of 220 billion yuan (US$26.6 billion).

On February 24, a strong quake registered a magnitude of 6.8 on the Richter scale, killed 268 and left about 4,000 injured and covered 10 counties in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Thanks for timely emergency aid, no one has frozen or starved to death in the wake of the strong earthquake.

Officials from China Seismological Bureau and China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said that a series of specific measures have been carried out to popularize the application of scientific and technical achievements in disaster reduction work.

Ruan Shuigen, an official in charge of disaster forecast and relief at the CMA, said that more radar and satellite observation has been used in preventing disasters such as typhoons and sandstorms.

Lin Quanzhen, an official from Ministry of Finance, reiterated that her ministry would continue to work hard on disaster prevention, adding that 3 billion yuan (US$362 million) has been spent to prevent terrorist attacks in urban areas.

Meanwhile, CPPCC members also appealed for a more united high-level organization to co-ordinate relevant emergency relief departments, such as storing materials, processing facilities, delivering materials, training personnel and rendering service to the regional relief and medical works.