Sea and river search and rescue goes high-tech

China will promote the application of artificial intelligence, the latest information technology and satellite communication in search and rescue work at sea and on rivers, a notice released on Nov 8 said.

Issued by the General Office of the State Council, it said water search and rescue is an important part of the national emergency response system and reflects China's efforts in fulfilling international conventions.

In order to improve the ability to conduct nighttime search and rescue operations at sea, research and the application of key technologies and equipment for deep-sea rescue and salvage will be strengthened, it said. Equipment for water rescue and deep-water salvage on rivers and reservoirs will also be enhanced.

To improve the water search and rescue system, the notice required national maritime search and rescue institutions to implement efficient coordination nationwide, draw up work plans and regulations and provide guidance for local organizations. Local governments should take their share of responsibilities in preventing and dealing with emergencies at sea and on inland waters, it said.

According to the notice, the national interministerial joint meeting for maritime search and rescue should be improved and the Ministry of Transport, which leads the joint meeting, should play a better role in coordination and supervision.

Information-sharing among different departments, including the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Natural Resources and Ministry of Emergency Management, will be encouraged, it said.

In order to improve the country's water search and rescue capabilities, merchant ships, fishing boats and volunteers will be encouraged to play a bigger role, the notice said, and a team of specialists from different areas, departments and professions will be built.

Regional and international exchanges on water search and rescue will also be strengthened to learn from the ideas, technologies and experiences of other countries, it added.

Teenagers to be focus of patriotic education

Teenagers will be the top priority of China's patriotic education and patriotism should be embedded in the whole process of school education, according to an outline for promoting patriotic education in the new era published on Nov 12.

The outline, published by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, said strengthening patriotic education in the new era is of great and far-reaching significance to inspiring and uniting the Chinese nation, securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and realizing the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.

It is important to cultivate the patriotism of students as they are the builders of and successors to the socialist cause, the document said, requiring patriotic education to be included in the textbooks of related subjects, such as Chinese and history, in primary and middle schools.

In colleges and universities, patriotic education should take up a larger proportion and be combined with related courses on philosophy and social sciences, it said.

The outline said patriotic education should have the theme of realizing the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation and ensuring that love for the Party, the country and socialism go hand in hand. It stressed that promoting patriotic education should focus on maintaining national unity and ethnic solidarity, which serves the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation.

People from all ethnic groups in China should be guided to treasure ethnic solidarity and take a firm position against any attempt to divide the country or words and acts that sabotage ethnic solidarity, it said.