President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, learns about local efforts to promote ecological conservation in the Yellow River basin during an inspection of the section of the river near the Zhongshan Bridge in Lanzhou, Gansu province, on Sept 11, 2024. JU PENG/XINHUA

President Xi Jinping called on Thursday for efforts to make new progress in the ecological conservation and green development of the Yellow River basin, and to make new achievements in the high-quality growth of the whole region in order to improve people's livelihood.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when convening a symposium in Lanzhou, Gansu province, on the implementation of the national strategy of ecological conservation and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin.

He pointed out the improvement in the conservation and high-quality development of the river basin over the past few years and highlighted that many challenges remain that need to be further addressed.

Xi underlined the need to continuously improve the development pattern of the basin, featuring rigorous protection and strong synergy, to build a solid ecological barrier.

Starting from Qinghai province, the Yellow River, deemed China's "Mother River" and "the cradle of Chinese civilization", stretches more than 5,400 kilometers through nine provinces and autonomous regions, covering a population of 420 million people.

Since ancient times, the river's natural and geological conditions have led to frequent flooding. Difficulties in protecting the Yellow River remain, due to challenges including the fragile ecological environment, the severe condition of water resources preservation, and the need to improve development quality.

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012, Xi has visited all of the provinces and autonomous regions in the Yellow River basin, attaching great importance to the high-quality development of the basin.

In October 2021, China released an outline for the Yellow River basin's protection and development through 2030. The outline serves as a guide for policymaking and the planning of engineering projects in the basin to address challenges.

During the meeting, Xi called for implementing the strictest system for water resources protection and utilization. He also emphasized the need to improve the system of disaster prevention and mitigation to ensure the tranquillity of the Yellow River.

It is important to promote a comprehensive green transformation of the development mode in the basin and to build a modern industrial system with distinctive advantages, the president said.

Xi urged the provinces and autonomous regions in the basin to deepen reform and expand opening-up to add impetus to high-quality development, and to actively take part in the construction of a unified national market and resolutely eliminate all forms of regional protectionism.

It is essential to coordinate the new type of urbanization and rural revitalization, steadily improve people's well-being and guide the coordinated development of large, medium-size and small cities as well as small towns, he said.

Noting that the Yellow River basin is an important birthplace of the Chinese nation and Chinese civilization, Xi said it is necessary to protect and promote the Yellow River culture, and strengthen the comprehensive and systematic protection of the cultural and natural heritage in the basin.