Shangyou News:

General Secretary Xi Jinping has called for concerted efforts to promote ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River as critical to the great rejuvenation and sustainable development of the Chinese nation. As an important province in the Yellow River basin, what efforts will Shaanxi take to promote the ecological protection and high-quality development of the basin during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025)? Thank you.

Liu Guozhong:

Thank you. I will let Mr. Zhao Yide answer your question.

Zhao Yide:

Thank you. As you all know, the peace of the Yellow River is significant to the stability of China. The Yellow River is an important ecological barrier and ecological corridor in China, while the Yellow River basin is an important area for ecology, agricultural production, economic development, and culture and tourism.

The CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin. The protection of the Yellow River is critical to the Chinese nation. As a major national strategy, we should make systematic plans and overall advancements. The Yellow River flows for 719 km within Shaanxi. The total area, population and economic volume of the Yellow River basin accounts for 65%, 76% and 87%, respectively, in Shaanxi province. Protecting the ecological environment and pursuing high-quality development in the region is very important both for Shaanxi and the country as a whole.

The CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee and the provincial government has implemented General Secretary Xi Jinping's instructions on the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin. We will continue to work to protect the mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands and address their deterioration at their source in a coordinated manner. A total of 28.32 million mu of marginal farmland has been returned to forest or grassland. A total of 8.6 million mu of shifting sandy land along the Yellow River has been fixed or partially fixed. The successful experience of sand control has extended Shaanxi's green area 400 km northward. Last year, the proportion of 32 water sections which was graded in categories I-III in the province, was higher than the national standard.

The key to the governance of the Yellow River is protection and management. Next, we will uphold the principle that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets and ensure we implement the overall plan of ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin. We will continue to prioritize ecological conservation, pursue a green development path, use water resources from the Yellow River as their capacity permits, and make development efforts in consideration of local conditions. Measures will be adopted to solve the problems of "muddy water, dirty water, flooding, waterlogging and water scarcity" as well as to promote the building of pilot zones for ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin. To sum up, protecting the Yellow River is of utmost importance.

We will take measures to protect the Yellow River in four aspects.

First, sand reduction and control. The Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi is an important source of sediment in the Yellow River. We will follow the natural laws to seize the key of regulating the water-sediment relationship by planting grass and trees, and damming against the sand. We will take comprehensive steps to control desertification and soil erosion to realize "double decreases" of soil erosion area and soil erosion intensity, and "double reductions" of water erosion and wind erosion. We will turn marginal farmland into forests and grasslands, build artificial forest ecological projects as part of the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program to control the sources of sandstorms affecting Beijing and Tianjin, and protect and restore virgin forests. We will build silt dams to reduce the amount of mud and sand entering the Yellow River. There used to be a saying: "Scoop a bowl of water from the Yellow River and the bowl will be half full of sand." We will relegate this situation to the history books.

Second, water pollution control. The Yellow River's pollution appears in its water, the problem lies in the basin, and its root is on the shore. Therefore, we will regulate the rivers and watercourses. It is necessary to implement the accountability system among river chiefs, policies of "One River, One Strategy" and "One Lake, One Strategy," and pollution prevention and control in important tributaries of Weihe River, Yanhe River, Beiluohe River and Wudinghe River to purify the "capillaries" of the Yellow River. Meanwhile, we will control pollution and strictly implement the pollutant-discharge licensing system in the Yellow River basin to increase the urban sewage treatment capacity, prohibit direct discharges of industrial effluents and urban sewage, and take stronger action to address agricultural pollution from non-point sources. In addition, we will address problems at the source to strictly control projects with high energy consumption and emissions, promote cleaner production, build a green production system, and encourage green ways of living.

Third, optimize the energy structure and adjust the industrial structure. Some parts of Shaanxi's section of the Yellow River basin is an important national energy base. It undertakes the strategic responsibility of ensuring national energy security and the goals of achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality. We will prioritize cutting pollution and carbon emissions and forging policy synergy as key tasks to achieve greener economic and social development in all aspects. We will accelerate the pace of energy structure adjustments, promote the clean, low-carbon and efficient use of energy, and establish demonstration zones for creative promotion of energy revolution. Meanwhile, we will accelerate industrial transformation and upgrading, and explore new methods with regional characteristics to develop strategic emerging industries, high-tech industries and cultural tourism.

Fourth, we will deliver benefits to the people. With a view of "when the Yellow River is harnessed, China will enjoy tranquility," we will promote construction of the Dongzhuang water control project on the Jinghe River, to regulate the lower north main-stem of the Yellow River to deliver more benefits to the people. With the aim of achieving sustainable water resource utilization, we will carry out policies for water resources guiding the scale of urban development, the capacity of cultivated land and construction land, the size of population and the industrial structures, work to strictly curb the total amount and intensity of water consumption, and meet reasonable water demands for production, living and ecological purposes in the Yellow River basin.

Further efforts should be made to protect the Yellow River. We will carry forward the Yellow River culture, unearth the value of the times, enrich the supply of products, and tell the "Yellow River's story" well to preserve and pass down the precious heritage of our ancestors and safeguard China's "Mother River." Thank you.