Guangdong receives Kintanar Award for typhoon relief efforts

A senior Chinese meteorological official said the country will expand cooperation with members of the UNESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee in the fight against disasters.

"China hopes to be able to join hands with member countries and regions of the typhoon committee to further raise typhoon monitoring and early warning service capability through expanding the sharing and international application of its Fengyun series meteorological satellites to provide more high-quality meteorological services for regional economic and social development, and for people's safety and well-being," said Yu Yong, deputy head of the China Meteorological Administration.

Yu made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the 51st session of the UNESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee in Guangdong's provincial capital, Guangzhou, on Tuesday.

"The China Meteorological Administration organized a series of training courses for more than 30 weather forecasters from members of the typhoon committee last year," he said.

Petteri Taalas, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization, said China has advanced equipment, technologies, monitoring and early warning systems that have contributed to typhoon disaster relief via furthering cooperation with typhoon committee members over the year.

Ye Zhenqin, a member of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, said Guangdong, one of the country's economic powerhouses, expects to advance its cooperation with countries and regions around the world to further raise the province's ability to fight typhoons and related disasters in the years to come.

"The Guangdong government would like to share its experiences in fighting typhoons with the rest of the world and contribute to the anti-typhoon and disaster relief cause," he said.

Due to its achievements in fighting typhoons, Guangdong was given the Kintanar Award during the opening ceremony on Tuesday.

Guangdong, which is hit by many typhoons annually, recorded only single-digit deaths when it was struck by several super typhoons last year.

Moreover, the impact of meteorological disasters on Guangdong's GDP has been below 0.8 percent for nine consecutive years.

Established by UNESCAP and WMO in 1968, the typhoon committee now has 14 members, including Cambodia, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, the United States and China.