China is now in the process of forming a 300-member state level nuclear emergency rescue team, according to a senior official of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND).

This highly trained team will specialize in responding to nuclear emergencies and accidents, said Yao Bin, head of the nuclear emergency and security division under SASTIND.

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The team of rescue experts that will be formed will give support to nuclear facilities' operators in the event that serious nuclear accidents occur.

The team will be trained to cordon off radioactive sources when a nuclear accident happens, rescue trapped people, control the spread of possible contamination on the environment and minimize damage and losses, according to Yao, who is also the deputy head of a nuclear emergency response office.

Yao said the emergency response team will not just be highly-trained but will also be equipped with state of the art devices to enable them to do their emergency response operations efficiently. A training base will also be setup specifically for this project.

The establishment of the state level nuclear emergency team is a joint project of the SASTIND and the General Staff Headquarters of the People's Liberation Army.

China has managed to keep a good record for securing its nuclear facilities during the five decades since the country began civilian use of nuclear energy, Yao said.

Yao attributes his achievement of having maintained a high level of security to the country's emergency response system that is in place.

China, at present, has 19 nuclear reactors in operation and 29 more are under construction. The country, likewise, has various institutions like hospitals, factories and research institutions that have nuclear facilities.

Each of these nuclear plants and facilities has an emergency response department to respond to nuclear accidents and emergencies, Yao said.