The Hong Kong Observatory on Wednesday opened a tsunami advisory centre, to act as a backup to a facility in Beijing that provides warnings to nine countries in the region.

Senior scientific officer Queenie Lam said the Backup South China Sea Tsunami Advisory Center can help ensure a stable and reliable warning service.

She added that it has been established with great help from the mainland's National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center.

"They just gave us the whole software that they developed. They also provided some training on the system, as well as the knowledge on earthquake monitoring and tsunami broadcasting over the South China Sea region," Lam said.

The officer also said the backup centre can help promote the observatory's disaster preparedness.

"Tsunamis can affect a very large area, so a prompt response and early alert is very important," she said.