In the morning of May 11, the "Belt and Road" Regional Cooperation Seminar on Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and the Second South Asia Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Forum held by the People's Government of Sichuan Province, China Earthquake Administration and Sichuan University, and prepared by Department of Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs, and Sichuan University-The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction, opened in Jiang'an campus, Sichuan University. Mr. Leela Mani Paudyal, the Nepalese ambassador to China, Mr. Shen Chao, the deputy director of the Department of Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs, Sichuan Provincial People's Government, Mr. Wang Jianguo, the secretary of the Party committee of Sichuan University, government officials, experts and scholars from Nepal, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and other South Asian countries, as well as experts and scholars from famous universities in China attended the opening ceremony of the forum. Mr. Yan Shijing, the vice president of Sichuan University, persided over the opening ceremony.
Mr. Leela Mani Paudyal addressed the ceremony and introduced Nepal's experience in promoting post-disaster reconstruction, disaster prevention and reduction, and expressed his gratitude to China for its great help and support for Nepal's post-disaster reconstruction. He expressed his belief that the holding of this forum will successfully strengthen the cooperation between China and South Asian countries in disaster prevention and reduction and lay a solid foundation for relevant countries to do a better job in disaster prevention and reduction. He expressed his sincere hope that Sichuan province and Sichuan University could further take advantage of their important roles in the "Belt and Road" strategy, and play a greater role in theoretical research and practice of disaster prevention and reduction in China and countries in South Asia.
On behalf of the Department of Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs, Sichuan Provincial People's Government, Mr. Shen Chao expressed his sincere congratulations on the successful opening of the forum, expressed welcome to the guests and sincere thanks to Sichuan University for all the preparation for the forum. After briefly introducing the economic and social development of Sichuan province, he said that, by sharing the important achievements in disaster prevention and reduction, as well as post-disaster reconstruction made by China, especially Sichuan, this forum would benefit the South Asia where frequent natural disasters occur.
On behalf of Sichuan University, Mr. Wang Jianguo expressed warm welcome to the government leaders, experts and scholars from countries in South Asia. He pointed out that it was of great significance for the "Belt and Road" countries to carry out the international cooperation in disaster prevention, disaster reduction and disaster relief, to establish disaster risk awareness and disaster prevention and reduction concepts, to strengthen the communication and cooperation in disaster prevention and reduction, to establish monitoring and joint defense mechanism against natural disasters, and to improve the abilities of withstanding natural disasters. The southwest region of China is adjacent to South Asia. Sichuan and South Asia have high population density and high disaster risk. Besides, they share many common features in disaster types. After the May 12 Wenchuan earthquake, with the help of the international community, the Chinese people united as one and created "China speed", "China miracle" and "China model" for earthquake relief and post-disaster reconstruction, which fully demonstrated the superiority of Chinese socialist system and Chinese power. Chinese people inherited and developed Chinese experience and wisdom in disaster prevention, disaster reduction and disaster relief. Wang Jianguo said that, the international emergency medical team (Sichuan, China) led by the West China Hospital, Sichuan University, has formally passed the assessment of WHO and becomes the world's first highest-ranking non-military EMT Type 3. This is the honor of Sichuan University, and also its responsibility. Taking this forum as an opportunity, Sichuan University will work together with experts and scholars to achieve regional security, common prosperity and the construction of human destiny community by actively participating in the friendship cause between China and South Asia, promoting exchanges and dialogues among Chinese and South Asian experts and scholars and deepening cooperation in disaster prevention and reduction.
The forum lasted for two days and took the opportunity of commemorating the 10th anniversary of the May 12 Wenchuan earthquake. Experts and scholars promoted in-depth discussion and communication around topics such as "Experiences and Challenges in Disaster Prevention and Mitigation in China and South Asia", "Experience in May 12 Wenchuan Earthequake Post-disaster Reconstruction and Development" and "National, Regional and Global Cooperation Modes for Reducing Disasters Crises and Responding to Disasters". China (Sichuan)-South Asia universities alliance for disaster prevention and mitigation will be established to jointly build a new platform for interdisciplinary regional cooperation. New platforms and channels for authoritative dialogues in the disaster prevention and reduction between China and South Asia will be created to achieve the new model of scientific and technological innovation and achievement transformation, study the disaster prevention and reduction, and sustainable development of the "Belt and Road" countries, as well as the new plan of internationalization, integration and standardization in regional disaster prevention and reduction.
