A security team with the China International Import Expo held its first full drill at the National Exhibition and Convention Center on Sept 22 with great success, according to officials.

The team staged the drill during the China International Industry Fair, which was held at the center from Sept 19-23. It used the fair to test security arrangements made for the CIIE, which will take place in Shanghai in November.

The rehearsal covered such aspects as how to quickly ease huge flows of passengers and traffic and how to provide high-quality on-site services like catering and medical treatment.

Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong attended the event and said that the rehearsal should be treated as real life. 

Preparations for the CIIE have entered a phase of heightened readiness, Ying said, which required everyone to fully implement the important instructions of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping.

Based on the arrangements of the CIIE's committee for planning and preparation, the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and the Shanghai government, everyone should take a problem-oriented approach when conducting rehearsals and verify the effectiveness of the command system, Ying said.

He added that they should also test the feasibility and response capacity of every work program, identify problems, continuously improve all the working procedures by paying close attention to detail, and continue to enhance the quality of services and security levels, in a bid to build the CIIE into a world-class expo.

Zhou Bo, Shanghai's executive vice-mayor, served as the chief commander of the rehearsal. Wu Qing and Gong Dao'an, two vice-mayors of the city, served as deputy chief commanders.

This event covered the problems that are likely to occur in security control when hosting major exhibitions and conventions. All the participants were services and security staff members of the CIIE.

After commanders gave an order at 9:30 am at a security command center at the expo, 12 working groups of the lead security team began the rehearsal at the National Exhibition and Convention Center. They involved 15 different scenarios - including the arrival of visitors, journalists and traffic, remote security check, emergency standby food catering service and on-site medical services.

City leaders watched the rehearsal on a big screen at the command center, discussing related arrangements and work details with the rest of the attendees.

Ying said that since the CIIE is being staged soon, Shanghai should stay on task for building the expo into a top international event and continue to implement the spirit of "sprinting for 100 days to score a victory".

Efforts should be made to repeatedly sort out, troubleshoot and confirm various tasks. Ying added that back scheduling should be implemented to ensure that all the work can be finished in time, and all possibilities should be thought through to ensure the success of the grand expo.

Ying also emphasized that the comprehensive rehearsal must focus on coordination, real practices and actual effects. All the units and departments should conscientiously sum up how the rehearsals went, as well as identify and solve related problems.

He said the rehearsal aimed at improving the effectiveness of the security command system, the operability of related work programs and the operating capacity of staff members.

It also served to enhance the cooperation of all member units of the lead security team, the coordination between running the expo and safeguarding its security, and the comprehensive ability to handle emergencies, Ying added.