3rd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Workshop on Urban Emergency Search and Rescue Opens in Nanning, Guangxi

Nanning, Guangxi Sep 25, 2026  - The opening ceremony of the 3rd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Workshop on Urban Emergency Search and Rescue was held in Nanning, Guangxi, on September 18. More than 400 participants gathered in the city, including senior government officials from the ARF's 27 participants and representatives from United Nations agencies, the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), and other international organizations, to discuss ways to advance safer and more resilient urban development.

The workshop was jointly chaired by China, Laos, and Malaysia as co-chairs in the field of urban emergency search and rescue. Under the theme "Empowering Urban Emergency Search and Rescue with Artificial Intelligence," the event featured a senior officials' meeting, four academic forums, a multinational multi-hazard joint field exercise, an exhibition of intelligent firefighting technologies, and roadshows for a firefighting and rescue innovation competition. Building on the ARF's established multilateral security dialogue platform, the workshop created a channel for deeper policy communication and coordination among participating countries and international organizations. Participants held in-depth discussions on key issues including urban disaster prevention and control, emergency response capacity building, and mechanisms for cross-border coordinated rescue operations, while sharing advanced experience and practical achievements in disaster prevention and mitigation, emergency search and rescue, and disaster response.

During the workshop, representatives from ASEAN countries and international organizations visited the Intelligent Firefighting Technology Exhibition at Hall B1 of the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center, where they explored opportunities for the introduction of and cooperation on intelligent firefighting equipment. Participants also observed a multinational multi-hazard joint field exercise involving the China Guangxi Rescue Team, 21 Chinese and international rescue teams from 11 countries, and more than 300 rescue personnel. The exercise demonstrated the use of intelligent rescue equipment, including underwater robots, firefighting robotic dogs, and large multipurpose drones, in earthquake and geological disaster response and water rescue operations.

Zhou Tian, Vice Minister of Emergency Management and Director of the National Fire and Rescue Administration of China; Huang Rusheng, Vice Chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; Kongsavath Bounliang, Vice Minister of Public Security of the Lao People's Democratic Republic; and Zulkefli bin Sulaiman, Deputy Secretary-General of Malaysia's Ministry of Housing and Local Government, delivered remarks at the workshop. He Ning, Deputy Director of the National Fire and Rescue Administration of China, introduced the China-ASEAN Disaster Management and Rescue Cooperation Center and its key functions.

The opening ceremony also featured the "Joining Forces for a Shared Journey" initiative for the China-ASEAN Disaster Management and Rescue Cooperation Center, with participating parties jointly advancing the establishment of an institutionalized platform for regional cooperation in urban emergency search and rescue. The center will serve as a key platform for China-ASEAN cooperation in emergency response technology sharing, personnel training and exchanges, joint emergency exercises, and coordinated cross-border disaster relief. It is expected to address gaps in regional emergency rescue cooperation and strengthen the overall capacity of China and ASEAN countries in disaster prevention, mitigation, relief, and emergency response. The center also serves as the permanent base of the China Guangxi Rescue Team, China's first international rescue team named after a provincial-level region, as well as a training base integrating artificial intelligence technologies with firefighting and rescue operations and an open platform for firefighting and rescue cooperation and exchanges with ASEAN countries.

About the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF)

The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) is a multilateral platform for dialogue and cooperation on political and security issues in the Asia-Pacific region. It brings together 27 participants and provides a forum for consultation, confidence-building, preventive diplomacy, and practical cooperation on regional security challenges, including disaster relief and emergency response.

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