BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- More efforts should be made to improve China's earthquake monitoring, forecasting, disaster reduction and relief in order to minimize casualties, Vice Premier Wang Yang said Thursday.

China, an earthquake-prone country, should intensify seismic surveillance to provide timely predictions, Wang said at a national conference on quake prevention and disaster reduction.

Old houses and important infrastructure such as school buildings need to be reinforced to endure earthquakes, according to Wang.

The government should also launch more educational campaigns to teach the public life-saving knowledge and skills for when a disaster strikes, Wang added.

On April 14, 2010, Yushu in northwest Qinghai Province was hit by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake, leaving nearly 3,000 people dead or missing.

In May 2008, a devastating 8.0-magnitude quake hit Wenchuan County in southwest China's Sichuan Province, leaving more than 80,000 people dead or missing.