Xi calls for ecological preservation while developing Yangtze River economic belt

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00:43

Protecting the ecological environment of the Yangtze River should be prioritized, as preservation and restoration along the river coincides with the long-term interest of the Chinese nation, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks at the development symposium for the Yangtze River economic belt in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. He called for all-out efforts in making the region prosper into a "golden economic belt" with a better environment, smoother traffic flow and a more unified market.

"The economic growth along the river requires scientific and orderly development. The Yangtze River is the mother river of the Chinese nation. We can't pursue a growth at the expense of damaging its environment," Xi stressed.

He pointed out that although much work has been done by the local government alongside the region, the country should still clearly recognize the challenges lying ahead.

The number one problem to solve is the relationship between ecological environment preservation and economic development. According to Xi, these two issues do not conflict each other, but are intertwined. After all, the restoration depends on the way China chooses to develop its economy.

Moreover, the old growth engines - setting investment and capital inputs as major forces - should be abandoned with absolutely no regret. On the other hand, a modernized economic system needs to be applied to the region, by pushing forward the supply-side structural reform.

Other challenges include how to balance the efforts of developing the whole region and key-point breakthroughs, how to make unremitting efforts as well as pushing forward other corresponding areas while promoting economic development.

01:10

Earlier in the day, Xi visited a local community in Wuhan, talking with locals and asking about grass-roots level service work. He stressed that only by fulfilling the needs of the general public can the foundation of the nation be steady.

1055km