A senior official has called for the establishment of a high-level system to help prevent disasters and reduce potential damage caused by them.

The issue is at the center of the forthcoming National Programs of Comprehensive Disaster Reduction, under the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10). The programs will be included in a guiding paper aimed at improving the country's disaster-response capabilities, said Zou Ming, deputy director-general of the Ministry of Civil Affairs' (MCA) Department of Disaster & Social Relief.

Unlike the National Disaster Reduction Program of China (1998-2010), which emphasized principles, the new programs focus on information-sharing, coordinating ministry-level disaster prevention efforts, and increasing public awareness of how to respond to disasters, he said.