Chinese President Xi Jinping inspected the estuary of the Yellow River in Dongying, East China's Shandong Province on October 20. Once again, the Yellow River has come onto Xi's agenda.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, Xi has turned his attention to the mother river time and again, and he has set foot on all nine provinces and autonomous regions along the river.

File photo: Xinhua

From August 2019 to June 2020, Xi visited Gansu Province, Henan Province, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Shanxi Province to investigate the ecological conservation efforts in the Yellow River basin.

Xi's schedule shows that great importance has been attached to this great river. This reflects his emphasis on integrated development.

With a total drainage area of about 750,000 square kilometers, the Yellow River stretches over 5,000 kilometers and is an important ecological protective barrier and economic belt.

An old saying goes, "Only when the Yellow River is calm can the country flourish." This idiom speaks of the importance of the river in the destiny of the nation.

Wherever he goes, Xi sets forth requirements based on real situations.

This time Xi inspected the Yellow River's waterways and the ecological environment of the wetlands in the river delta. He learned about the ecological protection efforts and high-quality economic development of the basin.

At a symposium on the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River in 2019, Xi mentioned insufficient flood control measures in the lower reaches, low water levels and the shrinking of some estuarine wetlands.

Stressing that the basin and ecosystem should be treated as an integrated system, Xi said, "The upper reaches should focus on improving water conservation capacity. The middle reaches should highlight soil and water conservation and pollution control. And for the lower reaches, attention should be paid to protecting wetland ecosystems and enhancing biodiversity."

Overall planning has become a key to water control for President Xi. "We should work together to protect the Yellow River and promote its governance in a coordinated way," he said.

Just a few days ago, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued an outline document on the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin. The document is expected to guide the country’s ecological conservation and high-quality economic development of the Yellow River basin.

(Translated by Chen Zhenli, edited by Huang Jingjing and Fan Jingyi；Source: Xinhua)