BEIJING, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities plan to improve the country's capacity to cope with calamitous events.

In a guideline published on Tuesday, the CPC Central Committee and State Council warned of a "complicated and severe" situation with regard to natural disasters.

Insufficient information sharing, lack of prevention planning and poor public awareness are among the fields that need improvement, the document pointed out.

A shift in priority from relief to prevention is required to improve disaster management, from divided efforts to comprehensive preparation, and from mitigating damage to addressing risk.

Resource coordination must be improved, and responsibilities between central and local authorities further clarified. Regular education can help increase public awareness.

Social and private organizations will be encouraged to participate in disaster management. Cooperation with international communities and increased financial support will further reduce risks.

China has suffered some of the world's worst natural disasters, which come in many varieties from extreme weather to geological events and cause huge losses of life and property.

From 2011 to 2015, an average of 310 million people were hit by disasters each year, according to the China National Commission for Disaster Reduction.