BEIJING - The Chinese government will support and guide the participation of social forces in disaster prevention, mitigation and relief over the next five years, vice minister of civil affairs Dou Yupei said Tuesday.

Complementary to governmental disaster relief, social forces have always played an important role, Dou said, calling for better research on social forces and market tools in disaster prevention, alleviation and relief.

China now has a weak foundation in terms of comprehensive disaster reduction, lags behind in disaster reduction and relief techniques, and to varying degrees, places more emphasis on relief than on reduction, Dou, also secretary general of the National Commission for Disaster Reduction, told a forum.

Greater efforts are needed to enhance public awareness of disaster prevention, mitigation and relief, as well as addressing issues like poverty caused by disasters, he added.

Dou called for better coordination of social organizations in disaster relief, and improved policies on participation in emergency rescue, disaster relief, medical treatment, psychological intervention and reconstruction.

He stressed the role of market tools such as insurance in disaster relief, suggesting that the country should start feasibility study of catastrophe insurance.

During the 2016-2020 period, the focus will shift from relief to prevention, from response to a single disaster to comprehensive disaster alleviation, and from reducing losses to reducing risk, he said.