(ECNS) -- A Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation framework for disaster response has been expanded, with seven new countries added as members and two international organizations as partners, according to a ministerial meeting held in Sanya, Hainan Province on Thursday.

The seven member states are Tonga, Zimbabwe, Georgia, Malawi, Gambia, Comoros, and Honduras, and the two international organizations are the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center.

In November 2021, China launched the international cooperation mechanism of collaborated disaster risk management for the BRI. Two years later, the cooperation mechanism was officially founded.

At present, the mechanism includes 34 member states and three international organizations, with fruits benefiting over 80 countries across five continents.

(By Zhang Dongfang)