BEIJING - China is drawing lessons from Japan's Fukushima nuclear crisis and will enhance the safety level for the construction and operation of its nuclear power plants, a vice minister of environmental protection said Friday.

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China is carrying out comprehensive safety inspections on its nuclear facilities and working on a nuclear safety plan, said Li Ganjie at a press conference held by the Information Office of the State Council.

The Fukushima crisis indicates that society has a limited understanding of natural calamities, said the official, emphasizing the necessity to further lift the standards for the protection of nuclear power stations, preventive measures against extreme natural calamities, in particular.

Li called for greater importance to the issue of nuclear safety, stricter standards on nuclear safety, more effective emergency and response mechanism, tighter supervision over nuclear safety, greater awareness about nuclear safety among the public, and closer international cooperation in sharing experience and capacity.