Chinese Ambassador Liu Jinsong Publishes an Article Entitled “The Mudslide in Gyirong: Seeing the Best of Humanity in Face of Disaster”

On September 17, 2026, Chinese Ambassador Liu Jinsong published an article entitled “The Mudslide in Gyirong: Seeing the Best of Humanity in Face of Disaster” in The Australian Financial Review, stating that in the face of the disaster, China and Nepal have stood side by side to overcome the difficulties together. China treats Chinese and foreign nationals equally and has made every effort to carry out rescue operations, while promptly organizing on-the-ground reporting and information release for both Chinese and foreign media. China hopes to enhance cooperation with Australia and other members of the international community on disaster preparedness and climate response.

The full text is as follows and can be accessed via https://www.afr.com/world/asia/china-came-to-the-rescue-after-nepal-mudslide-20260916-p60xvk.

On 26 August, a devastating mudslide struck the China-Nepal border, including the Gyirong Port area. The catastrophe caused heavy casualties, tragically affecting citizens from multiple nations, including China, Nepal, and Australia. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese extended his deep condolences to the families of the victims and the wounded. Here in Australia, people from all walks of life also expressed their sympathies to me and my colleagues. Though thousands of miles apart, they say that their thoughts are with the victims, the frontline rescuers, and the Chinese people. This outpouring of solidarity is a testament to the deep friendship between our two nations, for which I am deeply grateful.

A friend in need is a friend indeed. We witnessed extraordinary acts of bravery in face of such a disaster. Huang Peng, an immigration officer who had worked on the plateau for 13 years, was tragically swept away while guiding domestic and foreign nationals to safety just 20 seconds before the torrent hit. The initial rescue team trekked for six hours through perilous ravines, and waded and even crawled through mud, which could run as deep as 1.5 metres to reach the worst-hit areas. Yet they took it as their duty to answer the call of the people. Dorje Tsoje, a Xizang fire brigade officer, dangled from a heavy-duty drone over a raging river at the risk of his life, to open a rescue possibility for missing survivors.

Entrusted by President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council rushed to the disaster zone overnight. The Chinese government mobilised an immediate, comprehensive emergency response, deploying several thousand of personnel, specialized vehicles, drones, and relief supplies. Chinese and foreign nationals were treated with equal urgency, casualty and missing personnel data were released within 12 hours, a 24-hour hotline for foreign families was set up, and real-time multilingual updates from the site were provided. Currently rescue efforts are still underway. China will make every effort to continue searching for personnel from Australia and other countries who are still missing, and make proper follow-up arrangements including DNA testing.

Both Chinese and Nepalese experts in their joint research agree that the mudslide was triggered by a high-altitude glacier collapse within Nepal, which caused an ice-avalanche debris flow. This event was fundamentally driven by long-term climate warming and glacial instability. As Nature magazine noted, conventional monitoring of rainfall and lake levels could not have predicted this event, and satellite imagery alone was insufficient for an early warning. A glaciologist from Monash University in Melbourne similarly observed that this massive ice collapse was distinctly different in nature from past occurrences.

Following the disaster, authorities in the Xizang Autonomous Region held multiple press conferences to provide timely updates on the disaster situation and rescue operations. Some foreign journalists expressed hope to report on-site, which is fully understandable from a communications perspective. However, as Reverend John Flynn demonstrated in his life’s work, nothing is more precious than human life. The first 72 hours are the golden window for saving lives—all energy has been given to search and rescue.

Given the treacherous plateau terrain and high risk of secondary disasters, restricting immediate access until a thorough safety assessment is done is standard international practice. The disaster had leveled the 5-story joint inspection building and all surrounding structures in the 0.7-square-kilometre port zone on the Chinese side, and totally destroyed the 3-kilometre highway leading to the port. Despite these extreme conditions, China arranged for a group of journalists to enter the stricken areas by following the rescue teams on foot. These journalists had released the footage they shot and information they gathered, which can be shared globally.

When the access roads were safely cleared, the Chinese government has invited international journalists from the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and other countries and regions to visit the site. After a grueling 14-hour journey from Lhasa—driving for some 8 hours to Tingri County at an altitude of 4,000-plus meters, and another 6 hours to the disaster-stricken areas like Gyirong Port—these journalists witnessed firsthand the magnitude of the destruction and the immense challenges of search and rescue, and found China’s rescue operations impressive. The Australian Government has also acknowledged that the relief efforts China is undertaking is enormous and extraordinary.

A Chinese saying reminds us, “Mountains and rivers share the same source; we are one in face of wind and rain.” Climate-induced disasters know no borders. Immediately after the disaster struck, China activated its Fengyun meteorological satellite emergency response mechanism for international users, and developed a customized cloud version for Nepal’s use. China has shared imagery of affected areas, satellite remote-sensing data, hydrological monitoring information, and barrier lake early-warnings. China has also provided Nepal with grant assistance and humanitarian supplies including DNA testing equipment and reagent, and sent tunnel rescue, DNA and forensic experts to help Nepal with victims’ identity verification and search and rescue. Nepal thanked China for its strong support. Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal noted that both Nepal and China are affected by climate change and share the natural ecosystem of the Himalayas.

While devastating disasters test the limits of human endurance, they also bring out the best in humanity. We are not alone in face of wind and storm. China hopes to enhance cooperation with Australia and other members of the international community on disaster preparedness, climate response, and emergency rescue, to better protect our common planet and the well-being of the people.

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