Xi Jinping urges speed in China’s rush to recover from devastating floods
- At a Politburo Standing Committee meeting on Thursday, the Chinese leader called for a strengthening of recovery and reconstruction efforts
- Food security must be ensured and insurance payments speeded up for the millions affected by flooding, Xi said
Xi said food security must be ensured and insurance payments speeded up, and he urged officials to make good use of disaster relief funding in the wake of Typhoon Doksuri, which swept through large parts of China earlier in August.
Close to 4 million people were affected by the consequent floods, which caused more than 30 deaths in northern China. Dozens of people are still missing.
According to state-run news agency Xinhua, Xi made the remarks on Thursday, while presiding over a meeting of the Politburo’s seven-strong Standing Committee – the decision-making body’s inner circle.
Xi, who is also the paramount leader of China’s ruling Communist Party and chief commander of the country’s vast military force, was last seen in public on July 31, when he hosted an annual promotion ceremony in Beijing for generals.
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Beijing orders all-out search and rescue as deadly flooding sweeps northern China
Hailing China’s latest phase of flood prevention and disaster relief effort as a “significant achievement”, the Standing Committee urged local governments to make good use of disaster relief funds to speed up recovery and reconstruction.