Emerging “Black Technology” Expands New Areas of China-ASEAN Cooperation

Written by Su Xu / Translated by Liu Huilin

Disaster prevention and reduction, disaster response and relief are eternal topics for human survival and development. In modern society, the speed of response and capability to handle emergencies in a country or region are often regarded as one of the important criteria for evaluating government's ruling ability. In recent years, there has been an increasing incidence of extreme weather events globally, resulting in growing risks of disasters for countries. Therefore, governments of all countries are actively improving their emergency management level and strengthening cooperation with other countries and regions to jointly meet the challenges of global emergencies.

The 1st China-ASEAN Emergency Equipment and Technology Exhibition was showcased at the 19th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) from September 16 to 19, 2022. A total of 49 enterprises in fields of emergency communication, warning monitoring equipment, emergency protection equipment, and so on participated in this exhibition, which provided a new international platform for deepening exchange and cooperation in China-ASEAN emergency equipment and technology.

A debut of China's emergency heavy equipment in all its splendor

As people entered the area of the Emergency Exhibition at the 19th CAEXPO, countless emergency "black technology," such as heavy-duty firefighting trucks, high-pressure long-range water pumps, off-road search and rescue vehicles, and intelligent firefighting rescue robots, caught their eyes immediately. With a strong sense of technology, 353 new products and 85 new technologies from 49 enterprises made their debuts at this Exhibition, among which unmanned, portable, and intelligent products were the three major highlights of the Exhibition.

Emergency equipment has veered onto an unmanned trend of development. In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become increasingly irreplaceable in emergency rescue operations by virtue of portability and high anti-risk capability. China's DJI is a world-leading civilian UAV enterprise, and it is also at the forefront of the world in promoting the "emergency equipping" of UAV. At the Exhibition, Guangxi Daxiongying Technology Co., Ltd., the strategic partner of DJI in Guangxi, showcased an unattended and automated platform for UAV, which is comprised of a DJI "droneport," M30 Series, and a back-end management platform. This unmanned platform can provide a 24/7 service, playing a significant role in routine safety inspections in remote areas and regions with dangerous terrains. In addition, such exhibits as unmanned reconnaissance aircraft and unmanned detection ships from China Anneng Construction Group Co., Ltd. reflected the innovative achievements of Chinese emergency equipment. China's unmanned emergency equipment has already been developed on a large scale.

The small devices at the Exhibition embraced "prodigious power." In recent years, portable devices in emergency rescue have become increasingly significant with the increasing complexity and diversity of emergency incidents. The portable and flexible water supply and drainage emergency system with a large volume of flow from Hunan Wasom Emergency Equipment Co., Ltd. can be installed with only several people because of its weight less than 35 kilograms on average per module. After finishing the installation, it can easily realize the switch between large volume of flow and high head lift, enabling a rapid discharge of water at 50 meters underground. Hence, the equipment has played a vital role in firefighting water supply and urban flood drainage.

One can regard the emergency equipment as the "hard power" of China's science and technology and the emergency technology "soft power." The intelligent emergency management model, the intelligent early warning monitoring system, as well as emergency education and training products were displayed at the Exhibition, which were developed by Guangxi Academy of Safety Science and Technology and various companies, including China-ASEAN Information Harbor and BDS GX. These exhibits were China's innovative achievements combined with technologies such as Beidou Positioning, 5G communication, AI, big data, and cloud computing, which have made a positive impact on various aspects including emergency monitoring, management, rescue, and training. 

Remarkable achievements: nearly 6 billion RMB signed

According to data released by the Emergency Management Department of Guangxi, the Exhibition with an area of 1,419 square meters attracted 49 enterprises, most of which were well-known in the Chinese emergency industry. On the opening day, experts and technical representatives of scientific research institutes of emergency management and industry associations from China and ASEAN countries, as well as leaders of China's Ministry of Emergency Management at all levels attended the Exhibition and negotiated on site.

By virtue of the CAEXPO, the site was bustling with people, and the debut of the 3-day Exhibition achieved remarkable results.

On September 17, 2022, the signing ceremony of the Exhibition was held in Nanning, Guangxi. The total contracted amount reached 5.816 billion RMB, of which 5.66 billion RMB was contributed by signing 2 intended investment and cooperation projects and 156 million RMB contributed by signing 16 business cooperation projects. In addition, 9 exhibitors also reached six strategic cooperation agreements to enhance cooperation between enterprises and jointly promote the development of China-ASEAN emergency equipment and technology.

At the Exhibition, exhibitors said that the market of China-ASEAN Emergency Equipment and Technology embraces great potential through the CAEXPO. Yin Lefang, Secretary General of the Beijing Emergency Technology Alliance, acknowledged the sound atmosphere of the Exhibition, in the hope that "we can make a more fully preparation in 2023, and bring more emergency companies and industrial chains to the Exhibition." Liu Xihua, manager of the Guangxi project department of Hunan Wasom Emergency Equipment Co., Ltd., expressed his confidence about the promising market in Guangxi. 

CAEXPO boosts China-ASEAN cooperation

Recently, global climate change has intensified, leading to frequent occurrences of all kinds of natural disasters. Governments around the world are all facing severe nature-induced challenges at different levels. China, especially Guangxi, shares common types of disaster with ASEAN countries in a similar climate. Therefore, it is time to strengthen mutual emergency cooperation.

As early as the 23rd China-ASEAN Summit in 2020, China and ASEAN countries reached an agreement to promote emergency management cooperation and formally established the China-ASEAN Ministers' Meeting on Disaster Management. The two sides have also steadily advanced bilateral cooperation as schedule.

In 2021, the Ministry of Emergency Management of China and the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region decided to hold the ASEAN-China Forum on Emergency Management Cooperation and the Exhibition annually starting from 2022, with the aim of further implementing the China-ASEAN Ministers' Meeting on Disaster Management.

On December 9, 2022, the ASEAN-China Forum on Emergency Management Cooperation was successfully held in Nanning, Guangxi, China. Xu Jia'ai, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Emergency Management of China, emphasized that China and ASEAN countries are located in the Asia-Pacific region, where natural disasters are the most severe in the world. Hence, it is necessary to carry out long-term and pragmatic cooperation. A representative from ASEAN countries remarked that ASEAN is willing to jointly improve emergency management capabilities and maintain regional security and peace with China and other cooperative partners. ASEAN countries reiterate their commitments to work with China to jointly promote the construction of cooperative bases and actively enhance the level of cooperation and influence between the two sides.

To better implement the cooperative outcome of the China-ASEAN Ministers' Meeting on Disaster Management, the cooperation in emergency management between China and ASEAN countries is conducted steadily. From June 26 to 30, 2023, the "City-to-City" Partnership Workshop on Strengthening Emergency Management and Resilient City Development between China and Cambodia was held in Nanning and Beihai, Guangxi, China. Xu Yongke, Vice Chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, stated that Guangxi will further deepen exchanges and cooperation with ASEAN countries, including Cambodia, in emergency management, disaster prevention and reduction, command, and rescue, and jointly promote capabilities in natural disaster prevention and emergency management.

The 20th CAEXPO will be held in September. As a "two-way" international platform for China and ASEAN countries, it will bring more win-win business opportunities. The 2nd ASEAN-China Forum on Emergency Management Cooperation and the Exhibition will also make a reappearance at the 20th CAEXPO. It is believed that with the support of the CAEXPO, China-ASEAN emergency cooperation will be deeper and more practical.