Xi urges breaking new ground in Yellow River basin ecological conservation, high-quality development

LANZHOU, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday called for breaking new ground in the ecological conservation and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when he convened a meeting in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China’s Gansu Province.
Xi said efforts in this regard should be powered by further deepening reform comprehensively.
He called for promoting ecological protection across the entire river basin to a new level, achieving new progress in green transformation, and bringing new improvements to the lives of the people.
It is necessary to continuously improve the holistic framework of ecological protection and collaboration in the Yellow River basin to strengthen the national ecological security shields, Xi said.
Xi urged continuous efforts to intensify the battle against pollution, highlighting the management of important tributaries and key lakes and reservoirs.
He stressed accelerating the upgrades toward ultra-low emissions in key sectors and vigorously promoting the clean and efficient use of coal.
Efforts should be made to implement fiscal, tax, investment and pricing policies and standards to support green and low-carbon development, he added.
Xi urged efforts to explore establishing a basin-wide, market-based and diversified compensation mechanism for ecological conservation.
The strictest system for the protection and utilization of water resources should be implemented, he noted.
Xi emphasized the need to improve the disaster prevention and reduction system. He said the water regulation system centered around major water conservancy projects such as key reservoirs should be improved.
He underscored efforts to ensure the safety of important embankments, reservoirs and other infrastructure projects. ■