On October 15, 2023, during an interview with a reporter from China News Service, it was announced that the 5th National Emergency Management Legal Knowledge Competition concluded in Yichang City, Hubei Province, from October 13 to 15. This event was jointly organized by the Ministry of Emergency Management, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, and the National Office for Popularizing Law.

The theme of this year’s competition was “Promoting Legal Governance in Emergency Management to Strengthen Safety Defenses.” The initial online question-and-answer phase saw extensive participation from various regions and organizations, with enthusiastic engagement from thousands of employees and community members. Over 7.59 million people participated in the competition, answering more than 700 million questions, which sparked a nationwide interest in learning about emergency management laws and promoting the spirit of the rule of law.

Based on the results of the online phase, competitor teams from ten provinces and ten state-owned enterprises qualified for the finals, which consisted of two segments: practical exercises and knowledge quizzes. The practical segment featured five key tasks: evacuation from urban fires, home safety hazard inspections, outdoor drowning rescue, injury bandaging and medical assistance, and safety sign recognition. The quiz consisted of mandatory questions, rapid-fire questions, and risk-related questions. After intense competition, the representative teams from Hubei Province and State Grid Corporation of China won first-place awards, while four teams received second-place awards, six teams secured third-place honors, and eight teams were recognized with excellence awards.

Wang Xiangxi, the Party Secretary and Minister of the Ministry of Emergency Management, attended the finals and delivered a speech. He emphasized the importance of promoting emergency management laws and regulations to build a robust legal order. This effort is crucial for transforming the advantages of China’s emergency management system into effective governance and providing high-level safety services to support high-quality development. He called for innovative approaches to enhance the quality and effectiveness of legal education, utilizing both traditional and new media to regularly conduct legal education, training, competitions, and consultations. He urged the integration of emergency management legal knowledge into businesses, rural areas, communities, schools, and families, while also reinforcing legal education through case analysis and warning education to enhance the legal awareness of key populations. He stressed the need for fair enforcement of the law to serve the public, combining regulatory enforcement with guiding services, and ensuring compliance with safety responsibilities to prevent and manage potential risks in a timely manner, ultimately safeguarding citizens’ lives and property and maintaining social stability.