China calls for tsunami warning system

May 25th, 2011 - 4:39 pm ICT by IANS  

Beijing, May 25 (IANS) China has proposed a tsunami warning system linking countries in the South China Sea region, China Daily reported Wednesday.

“The system will allow countries to share information and enhance their ability to forecast tsunamis or other marine disasters,” Yu Fujiang, deputy director of the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center, told the paper.

The South China Sea is located in the Pacific seismic belt, often referred to as the Ring of Fire.

A tsunami in the region could have devastating consequences for China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore, Yu said.

Zhang Zhanhai, a senior Chinese official, called on the nine countries in the South China Sea region to help establish a warning system that could track a tsunami within 10 minutes of a quake underneath the sea.

Zhang was speaking at the 24th session of the International Coordination Group for the Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System held Tuesday in Beijing.

If the proposal is passed by the group, the system will probably be in operation within five years, the daily said.

The National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center is China’s only tsunami warning center.

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