Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Monday chaired a leadership meeting to discuss a plan for ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin.

The meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee reviewed guidelines on balancing environmental protection and economic growth of the area, which covers nine provincial-level regions. 

It stressed the need to improve the ecological environment along the river and urged local governments to promote high-quality development and improve people's livelihoods.

The meeting also asked local governments to focus on reducing Yellow River flood and drought disasters over the long term, strengthen scientific research, improve disaster prevention and mitigation, and improve the capability to respond to various disasters.

Last year, China set the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin as a major national strategy.

Deemed "the cradle of Chinese civilization," the Yellow River basin is one of the most important ecological barriers and economic zones of China.

The Yellow River originates from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and runs through the Loess Plateau. Flowing 5,464 km through nine provincial-level regions, it is China's second-longest river, supplying water to 12 percent of the population and irrigating 15 percent of the country's arable land.

On June 8, Xi visited a section of the Yellow River in Wuzhong City, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, where he learned about the ecological and environmental protection.

Noting that the Yellow River for long has been a source of life for the people of Ningxia, Xi urged locals to optimize their agricultural planting structure and develop water-saving agriculture techniques to increase the additional value of crops and protect water resources.