Speakers:
Luo Wen, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission;

Lin Shaochun, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee and executive vice governor of Guangdong province;

Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, chief secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region;

Mi Jian, director of the Policy Research and Regional Development Service of the Macao Special Administrative Region

Chairperson:
Xi Yanchun, spokesperson for the State Council Information Office

Date:
Feb. 28, 2019

TDM:

The outline plan mentioned that Macao is required to work together with adjacent cities on disaster prevention. My question is how that work, which involves Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, is going so far. Thanks.

Lin Shaochun:

Thank you for the question. In the Greater Bay Area, Guangdong and Macao share close cooperation in this regard. I believe you must be aware of the typhoon in 2017, which led to two days of blackouts and seawater encroachment in the area. The challenge is how to prevent natural disasters. We have made efforts as follows. First, we have built a meteorological information sharing system to forecast inclement weather. The three places have joined this system, which can accurately forecast weather disasters and related information.

Second, we have formed a mechanism that requires us inform each other of pertinent and timely information before disasters occur. That is to say, Guangdong must keep related departments in Hong Kong and Macao advised of relevant information, and vice versa. By this process, the three locations need to collaborate with each other to resolve disaster prevention problems together. We discuss the issues together.

Third, more specifically, we have installed a two-circuit electrical supply in Macao, improving the reliability of Macao's electricity through underground cable. Additionally, you may be interested in the tide gates. Fernando Chui, chief executive of Macao, cares profoundly about this issue, and he came to Ma Xingrui, Guangdong's provincial governor, to talk about it. Guangdong supports Macao initiating the work. After the project is approved, the two sides will assess its ecological and environmental influences and conduct accurate monitoring and measuring of astronomic tide data, in a bid to roll out an effective prevention and control method. We are building these mechanisms and will continuously improve relevant facilities, working together to effectively prevent and control natural disasters. Thank you.

Mi Jian:

Let me supplement by talking about some of the work done by Macao. Your question relates to Typhoon Hato on Aug. 23, 2017, which caused the loss of life and property in Macao. The disaster shook the special administrative region, and offered a profound lesson to the SAR government. Consequently, within three months, the design of the tide gate was approved. Chui, the chief executive of Macao, has been involved in the entire process, collaborating with Ma Xingrui and Lin Shaochun, Guangdong's provincial governor and vice-governor. The project is supported by the Ministry of Water Resources, and has demonstrated high efficiency in regional cooperation.
 
As for now, the draft of our 10-year disaster prevention and reduction plan has undergone six revisions. A critical component is the tide gate, which has come to the phase of technological verification. Although the tide gate's basic plan is workable, it still requires comprehensive analysis of astronomical and meteorological data, as well as tides and water supply, to determine whether it can be built and managed effectively. It is a very complex project. But you can send a message to Macao citizens that they can rest assured that the Macao SAR government is treating this with the utmost importance, and will not allow Macao to experience another situation like Typhoon Hato of Aug. 23.

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