The mainland's top economic planning body touched only briefly yesterday on what lessons should be learned from the calamitous snowstorms of the past two months, preferring to dwell on the central government's disaster relief successes.
National Development and Reform Commission director Ma Kai told a press conference yesterday that Beijing's handling of the blizzards was prompt and effective.
He avoided a question about whether the disaster exposed a weakness in the government's emergency management.
'The sudden low temperatures, snowstorms and disastrous deep freeze were the worst in 50 years, or 100 years in some places,' Mr Ma said. 'Local residents all said it was the most serious since the places had begun keeping weather records. But the Chinese government's response to the sudden disaster was quick, timely and effective.'
Premier Wen Jiabao said on Wednesday that lessons must be learned after the snowstorms claimed at least 129 lives, devastated 119,000 sq km of crops, collapsed 485,000 houses and resulted in 151.6 billion yuan (HK$166.3 billion) in direct economic losses.
Road, rail and air traffic was delayed, stranding tens of millions of passengers just before the Lunar New Year holiday. Power and water supplies were cut for weeks in several central provinces.
Mr Ma said weather forecasters had issued five warnings between December 10 and January 19, local governments had initiated emergency response systems, the central government had made sound decisions and top party leaders had gone to the front lines to direct relief work and visit residents.