A spokesman of MOFCOM expressed that the Ministry has set up an emergency scheme to ensure the market supply, and the state has the guarantee capacity for the steady market supply in the disaster-affected areas.

The spokesman said on May 15 that MOFCOM has promptly launched the emergency scheme after the strong earthquake occurred in Wenchuan, Sichuan Province. MOFCOM has organized the relevant provinces and regions across China for the production and living necessities and disaster rescue and relief materials which are desperately needed in the disaster-affected areas on the night of May 12 and are now being transported in succession. MOFCOM enhances its monitoring over the country’s market operations. Based on the current situation, the seriously disaster-stricken areas in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces are in emergent needs of instant food, drinking water, lighting facilities, etc. The supply of the living necessities of all descriptions in the rest of the country is sufficient with steady market supply. When the transportation is resumed to normal, the market supply of the relevant materials needed in the disaster-affected areas shall return to normal as well.