China’s Emergency Planning System: A Case Study of Road Transportation

Following the SARS outbreak in China in 2003, the Chinese government introduced a comprehensive strategy for emergency response that consists of four components: plans, institutions, mechanisms and rules and regulations. Emergency planning takes priority in this system mainly for two reasons. The first reason lies in the internal logic of the strategy. The emergency response institution mainly refers to the organizational system of emergency management, the mechanism is the process by which emergency management takes place, and the rules and regulations are the legal framework governing emergency response.