Chinese Premier Li Qiang inspects the Ministry of Emergency Management on Feb 9, 2024 to ensure smooth transportation and workplace safety during the Spring Festival holiday. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING – Premier Li Qiang of China on Friday emphasized the need for appropriate measures to ensure sound operations of the country's transportation network and key sectors during the Spring Festival holiday.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the statement during an inspection tour of the Ministry of Emergency Management.

The Spring Festival holiday, which is a time for family reunions across the country, runs from Feb 10 to 17 this year.

Efforts must focus on monitoring and coordinating transport capacity while coping with the changing weather conditions such as blizzards and cold waves that have impacted travelers in some regions, said the Premier.

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While at the ministry, he also virtually inspected key industries, particularly those involved with the use of hazardous chemicals. 

Premier Li Qiang holds a meeting with officials concerned at the Ministry of Emergency Management on Feb 9, 2024. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Li urged them to ensure that work safety measures were in order to avoid any major accidents from occurring during the holiday.

To ensure safety, he urged on-site management of festival activities, tourist attractions as well as crowded places.

Having learned about the national emergency management system's holiday operation situation, the Premier called on all localities and departments to strictly implement the holiday duty system, refine and optimize the contingency plans, and activate instant response, dispatch and rescue in case of an emergency.

Vice-Premier He Lifeng emphasized putting safety first for transport operations and providing sound transportation services during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday

Also on Friday, Vice-Premier He Lifeng emphasized putting safety first for transport operations and providing sound transportation services during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday.

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He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour of the Ministry of Transport.

While at the ministry, the vice-premier virtually inspected traffic conditions on a number of routes in various areas, including Beijing, Jiangsu, Guangdong and Hainan. He also learned about weather conditions after the holiday, forecasts of return-journey passenger flows and preparation work relevant to responding to emergencies.

Some areas have continuously suffered from extreme weather conditions in recent days, He said, urging relevant departments to make early preparations for possible weather changes and emergencies on the return trip after the holiday.

The vice-premier also noted the need to comprehensively strengthen workplace safety responsibilities and to promptly implement plans for road diversions and highway control, in order to resolutely eliminate safety hazards.

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He also emphasized reinforcing the monitoring of return-journey passenger flows, guidance of travel information and the guarantee of smooth traffic logistics.