China, Pacific Island nations strengthen disaster relief cooperation

A magnitude-6 earthquake struck about 178 kilometers south-southwest of Ohonua, Tonga at 11:49 p.m. on May 25 at a depth of 11.6 kilometers.

Pacific island countries, such as Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu, lie on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones where continental plates could collide, producing frequent seismic activities.

Cyclones, tsunamis and tremors can quickly disrupt island livelihoods and critical infrastructure. In this context, regional partnerships are vital for sharing knowledge, technologies and resources to reduce risks and save lives.

In February 2023, the China-Pacific Island Countries Center for Disaster Risk Reduction Cooperation was formally launched in Jiangmen City, south China's Guangdong Province.

As China's first multilateral platform dedicated to Pacific island nations' disaster resilience, the center provides risk monitoring, early warning technologies, emergency relief support, marine disaster mitigation and capacity-building training.

Shortly after its inauguration, the center's Pacific Island Countries Research Institute organized a foundational workshop at Wuyi University in Jiangmen on March 15, 2023.

Academics and policymakers met to set research priorities for disaster governance, emphasizing the need for context-specific studies and community engagement.

In November 2023, Wuyi University hosted a symposium on emergency language services to support "resilient urban-rural" development.

Participants included Pacific island countries' officials and language specialists who discussed tailored communication strategies during crises.

From June 13 to 26, 2024, the 2024 Pacific Island Countries Disaster Management Training Course was held in Guangdong's Guangzhou and Jiangmen.

Forty officials from nine Pacific island countries, such as Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu, attended training sessions covering early warning systems, emergency communications, and the deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles for rapid damage assessment.

This hands-on training emphasized practical tools and protocols tailored for island contexts.

On September 13, 2024, Wuyi University signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Papua New Guinea's University of Natural Resources and Environment to collaborate on research on disaster risk reduction, facilitate faculty and student exchanges, and jointly develop training programs for emergency management professionals in the Pacific island countries.

About seven months later, on April 30, Wuyi University and Solomon Islands National University signed an MOU focusing on joint research in disaster resilience, curriculum development and capacity-building through student and faculty exchanges to train application-oriented talent in emergency management.

Spanning technology-enabled early warning, multilingual communication and academic partnerships, these cooperative initiatives demonstrate how China and Pacific island countries are pooling expertise to build more resilient communities.

By sharing resources and respecting local contexts, such efforts serve as a model for global disaster risk reduction.

For more: China, Pacific Island nations boost cooperation on climate resilience

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: A view of Neiafu, Tonga. /VCG; designed by CGTN's Jia Jieqiong)