China's 'Three Strengthenings' Drive Flood Defense as Gansu Floods Test New Policy

The roots of the directive run back to the summer of 2021, when Premier Li Keqiang, addressing a plenary session of the National People’s Congress, warned that the protection of “people’s lives and property” must be the top priority in any flood‑control effort. He called for tighter accountability and more robust measures, laying the groundwork for a policy framework that would later be crystallised into the “三个加强” – the three strengthenings that now dominate the disaster‑management agenda.

Four days ago, on August 3, 2025, the phrase was thrust into the national spotlight after a series of relentless rainstorms and mountain torrents battered Yuzhong County in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, leaving dozens dead and prompting a massive emergency response. President Xi Jinping, in a televised address, singled out the three strengthenings as the essential pillars of the country’s next steps: strengthening risk forecasting and early warning, strengthening the investigation and rectification of hidden dangers, and strengthening emergency duty and watch‑keeping. The president’s remarks were not merely rhetorical; they codified a set of operational priorities that will now be measured against the effectiveness of the ongoing response.

The timing of the directive is no coincidence. China is currently in the “七下八上” period – literally “seven down, eight up” – a term that marks the critical flood season stretching from late July into early August. Historically, this window has seen the confluence of snow‑melt from the Tibetan plateau and the peak of the East Asian monsoon, creating a perfect storm of hydrological risk across the nation’s river basins. Officials have warned that the “七下八上” window will remain especially volatile this year, prompting a nationwide call for vigilance and rapid implementation of the three strengthenings.

The practical implications of the policy are already rippling through a range of sectors. In manufacturing and infrastructure, firms are being urged to adopt flood‑resilient designs, from reinforced foundations to elevated utility corridors, while supply‑chain managers are revising logistics plans to anticipate potential water‑related disruptions. Energy and utilities companies, whose power grids and water‑treatment plants sit at the front line of any disaster, are accelerating investments in real‑time monitoring systems and hardening critical assets against inundation. The agricultural sector, still vulnerable to the loss of arable land and the destruction of crops, is seeing a push for better early‑warning networks and the construction of protective levees that can shield low‑lying fields.

Financial markets, too, are taking note. Insurance providers are tightening risk‑assessment models, and banks are beginning to factor flood‑mitigation measures into credit evaluations for projects in high‑risk zones. The emphasis on “risk forecasting and early warning” is prompting a surge in demand for advanced meteorological data, satellite imaging and AI‑driven predictive tools that can translate raw climate signals into actionable alerts for both authorities and private enterprises.

Beyond the balance sheets, the three strengthenings are designed to reshape the relationship between the state and its citizens. A more accurate early‑warning system promises to give residents timely information, allowing for orderly evacuations and reducing the human toll of sudden flash floods. Public‑awareness campaigns, already in full swing across provinces, are teaching communities how to interpret alerts, where to seek shelter, and how to protect personal property. Meanwhile, the drive to “investigate and rectify hidden dangers” – a euphemism for the systematic identification of vulnerable infrastructure, poorly maintained dams, and unregulated construction – is expected to involve local volunteers, village committees and even school groups, fostering a culture of collective responsibility.

At the political level, the directive underscores a renewed emphasis on accountability. Xi’s call for “layer‑by‑layer consolidation of political responsibility” signals that officials at every tier of government will be held to stricter performance metrics, with the potential for penalties if they fail to meet flood‑control targets. This top‑down pressure is intended to reinforce the Communist Party’s narrative of “people first, life first,” a slogan that has become a litmus test for the party’s legitimacy in the eyes of the public. Successful implementation of the three strengthenings could therefore translate into a boost in public trust, while any high‑profile failures risk eroding the government’s standing and igniting social discontent.

The “three strengthenings” also mark a strategic shift from reactive disaster relief to proactive disaster management. By focusing on forecasting, hazard identification, and ready‑made emergency teams, the state is moving toward a model that seeks to prevent loss of life and property before a disaster strikes, rather than merely responding after the fact. This long‑term approach dovetails with China’s broader “national resilience” agenda, which envisions a future where climate‑induced events are met with a robust, technologically sophisticated defense system.

As the “七下八上” window draws to a close in early August, the eyes of the world remain on China’s ability to translate policy into practice. The three strengthenings, while still a relatively new set of guidelines, have already begun to reshape industry standards, community preparedness, and political expectations. Whether they will succeed in curbing the human and economic toll of the Gansu floods remains to be seen, but their implementation will undoubtedly set a benchmark for how the world’s most populous nation confronts the growing challenges of climate‑driven water disasters.