China Crisis Management Report: Volume 1

Author: Hu Baijing
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not Available
Features: Vision, Responsibility, Cost – A Review of Government Crisis Management in 2005
Like a raft floating in turbulent waters, the world ebbs and flows. In 2005, amidst swirling winds and calm depths, a series of crises unfolded. Songs, plays, dances, and dramas lingered in memory, the clashing of drums and gongs echoing as officials and citizens shared joys and sorrows. In the era of social transformation and high risks, the People’s Government led the people through repeated trials, all in the name of a warm ideal.
As the year drew to a close, a massive explosion ripped through the benzene plant of Jilin Petrochemical Company in Jilin, sending towering flames and thick smoke into the sky. Pollutants flowed downstream, carried by the mighty river to Harbin and eventually into Russia. This triggered a rescue mission for public interests, involving two cities, two provincial governments, and two countries.
Jiujiang, a city not designated as seismically hazardous, was shaken by a 5.7 magnitude earthquake, shattering its tranquility. At the head of Xunyang River and by the shores of Gantang Lake, a century of history and romance vanished in a nightmare. Emergency systems at the central, provincial, and municipal levels were activated. Hospitals, schools, media, businesses, and citizens all took action, as humanity once again waged war against the heavens.
The lingering shadow of SARS had not fully dissipated when avian flu struck head-on. In 11 provinces, 23 prefectures, 30 counties (cities, districts), 55 towns, and 112 villages, the situation was dire. Faced with disaster, the government matured. While Harbin and Shenzhen were worlds apart, exorbitant medical fees of 5.5 million yuan and 1.2 million yuan respectively shocked the public. A single statement, “China’s healthcare reform has basically failed,” plunged two decades of medical reform into the whirlpool of public opinion.
The world textile trade, long excluded from free trade, entered an era of quota-free integration. China, having waited for 15 years, questioned the “treatment” it received after joining the WTO. Though the shackles were broken, would true trade freedom truly arrive as expected?
The triangular drama between China, Europe, and the U.S. tested the Chinese government’s internationalization. Amidst these crises, fragments of solutions were still being developed in laboratories, while absentees in major reforms continued to grow. When skeptics ceased their collective unconsciousness, when those in purgatory confessed the truth, and when balancers stepped forward, the starting point of a new logic suddenly shone brightly. The power of the government, the voice of the people, the brain of regulation, and the hands of action were all activated.
In the reflection of time, deep-seated illnesses finally faded. Lucky as we are, let us listen with hearts—the voices of “prevention first” and “people-centeredness” have never been so resolute.
As the year turned, the Chinese government issued the National Overall Emergency Response Plan for Public Emergencies, clarifying organizational systems, operational mechanisms, emergency safeguards, and supervision. This marked a new era.
By the side of a sunken boat, a thousand sails pass by; before a withered tree, ten thousand trees flourish anew.