On the afternoon of the 12th, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, President of the People's Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, presided over a symposium on comprehensively promoting ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, and delivered an important speech.  
On the afternoon of September 12th, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, President of the People's Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, presided over a symposium on comprehensively promoting ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, and delivered an important speech. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xie Huanchi
Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Director of the General Office of the Central Committee, and Ding Xuexiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, attended the symposium.
At the symposium, Zheng Zhajie, Director of the National Development and Reform Commission, Hu Changsheng, Secretary of the Gansu Provincial Party Committee, Zhao Yide, Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee, and Lou Yangsheng, Secretary of the Henan Provincial Party Committee, successively spoke and reported on the work situation and put forward opinions and suggestions on promoting ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin. The main responsible comrades from other provinces and regions who participated in the symposium submitted written statements.
After listening to everyone's speeches, Xi Jinping delivered an important speech. He pointed out that since the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed the strategy of ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, the ecological environment quality of the Yellow River Basin has steadily improved, the water security guarantee capacity has continued to enhance, the foundation of energy and food security has been continuously consolidated, and there are many highlights of high-quality development. The ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin have reached a higher starting point. At the same time, it should be noted that there are still many difficult problems that need to be further solved.
Xi Jinping emphasized the need to continuously improve the ecological protection and coordination pattern in the Yellow River Basin, and build a strong national ecological security barrier. Highlighting the systematic, holistic, and collaborative nature of Yellow River governance, promoting the construction of an integrated ecological environment governance system that connects upstream and downstream, deeply implementing major projects for the protection and restoration of important ecosystems, and enhancing the stability of the watershed ecosystem. Strengthen the joint prevention and control of the "Three North" project, and enhance the overall effectiveness. Strengthen the comprehensive management of coal mining subsidence areas and actively explore new paths for the transformation and development of resource-based areas. Continuously deepen the battle against pollution prevention and control, strengthen the management of important tributaries and key lakes and reservoirs, and do a good job in the construction of environmental infrastructure in the areas along the river and surrounding lakes. Strengthen the comprehensive management of air pollution, accelerate the ultra-low emission transformation of key industries, and vigorously promote the clean and efficient utilization of coal. Rectify "scattered and polluting" enterprises in accordance with the law and effectively control risk sources. Implement fiscal, financial, investment, pricing policies and standard systems that support green and low-carbon development. Establish a sound mechanism for realizing the value of ecological products. Explore the establishment of a basin wide, market-oriented, and diversified ecological protection compensation mechanism.
Xi Jinping pointed out that the strictest water resource protection and utilization system should be implemented to improve the level of water resource conservation and intensive utilization. Strictly adhere to the upper limit of water resources development and utilization, refine measures to determine cities, land, people, and production based on water, improve the total water intake and use control system covering the entire basin, and scientifically allocate main and branch water resources. Strengthen the control of groundwater level and increase the efforts to manage overexploitation funnels of groundwater in the middle and lower reaches. Strengthen the protection of drinking water sources. Steadily optimize and adjust the "87" water distribution plan. Actively explore and standardize the promotion of water rights trading, and comprehensively implement the reform of water resource fees into taxes. Implement water-saving actions and accelerate the construction of a water-saving society.
Establish a sound mechanism for regulating water and sediment, and improve the regulation system mainly based on major water conservancy projects such as backbone reservoirs. Adhere to the unified prevention and control of main and tributary rivers, promote the management of key river sections and dangerous sections of the main stream, and ensure the safety of important embankments, reservoirs, and infrastructure. Coordinate and promote the major projects of the Yellow River Water Conservancy Hub. Strengthen disaster monitoring and early warning, and enhance the linkage between early warning and emergency response. Intensify efforts in risk investigation and mitigation, strengthen publicity and education on disaster prevention and reduction, and conduct regular and practical collaborative mobilization exercises.
Xi Jinping pointed out that we need to promote the comprehensive green transformation of development mode and build a modern industrial system with distinctive advantages. We will not relax and focus on the production of grain and important agricultural products, strengthen agricultural technology and equipment support, develop moderate scale agricultural operations, and develop characteristic and advantageous agriculture according to local conditions. Build high standard farmland that can withstand droughts and floods, carry out comprehensive transformation and utilization of saline alkali land, and strive to improve the quality of arable land. Optimize the layout of major project construction to minimize the impact on surface runoff and groundwater. Vigorously developing a green and low-carbon economy, orderly promoting the planning and construction of large-scale wind and photovoltaic bases and power transmission channels, and accelerating the replacement of clean energy in key industries. Efforts will be made to enhance the technological innovation capability of industries, promote energy-saving and carbon reduction renovations and equipment updates in key industries, strengthen strategic emerging industries and advanced manufacturing clusters, and develop new quality productivity according to local conditions. Encourage universities, research institutes, and other institutions in the region to layout and construct technology transfer and industrialization service mechanisms, and improve the synergy level of industrial chain innovation chain.
Xi Jinping emphasized the need to comprehensively deepen reform and expand opening up, adding momentum to high-quality development. Deeply participate in the construction of a unified national market and resolutely eliminate various forms of local protectionism. Deepen the reform of state-owned assets and enterprises, and comprehensively implement policy measures to promote the development and growth of the private economy. To build a regional economic layout and territorial spatial system with complementary advantages, mega cities need to take the path of connotative development, and the Yellow River urban agglomeration needs to enhance population agglomeration and industrial cooperation capabilities. Improve major cross provincial infrastructure systems such as transportation, energy, and water conservancy, and promote the construction of new infrastructure. Strengthen the integration with other regional strategies and promote coordinated linkage in the construction of free trade pilot zones. Actively participate in the high-quality co construction of the "the Belt and Road", and expand the development space with high-level opening up.
Xi Jinping pointed out that we need to coordinate new urbanization and rural revitalization, and steadily improve people's livelihood and well-being. Guide the coordinated development and intensive layout of large, medium, small cities and small towns, enhance the industrial and population carrying capacity of county towns, and alleviate the carrying pressure on ecologically fragile areas. Better leverage the role of county towns in connecting cities and driving rural development, and take the lead in achieving integrated urban-rural development within the county. Classify and promote village construction, build livable, business friendly, and beautiful countryside. Strengthen universal, fundamental, and bottom-up livelihood security. Placing employment in a prominent position, both urban industrial development and rural industrial cultivation should attach importance to expanding employment capacity. Consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation, and prevent large-scale poverty relapse. Fully implement the Party's major policy on ethnic work in the new era, deepen the creation of ethnic unity and progress, govern ethnic and religious affairs in accordance with the law, and forge a sense of community for the Chinese nation.
Xi Jinping emphasized that the Yellow River Basin is an important birthplace of the Chinese nation and civilization, and it is necessary to protect and promote the Yellow River culture, inherit the historical context and national roots. Strengthen the overall and systematic protection of cultural and natural heritage, and deepen archaeological work. Protect red cultural resources, promote revolutionary culture, and develop advanced socialist culture. Deeply exploring the contemporary value of the Yellow River culture, fully demonstrating the Chinese nation's indomitable and persevering national character and spirit of struggle. Promote the integrated development of culture and tourism, and build a Yellow River cultural tourism belt with international influence.
Ding Xuexiang stated in his speech that we must thoroughly study and implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee, and the important speech of General Secretary Xi Jinping, adhere to ecological priority and green development, and continuously promote the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin to a new level. Persist in making major protection a key task, deepen the prevention and control of environmental pollution, and accelerate the construction of a solid, stable, and strongly supported national ecological security barrier. Carefully carry out the great article of "human water relationship", comprehensively implement the principle of "four waters and four determinations", and scientifically allocate water resources throughout the entire basin. Based on the main functional positioning, we will leverage our respective comparative advantages, focus on improving our industrial technological innovation capabilities, and develop new quality productivity according to local conditions. Comprehensively deepen reform and opening up, better participate in the construction of a unified national market, expand the breadth and depth of domestic and foreign opening up, and inject strong impetus and vitality into the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin.
He Lifeng, Wu Zhenglong, Mu Hong, and Jiang Xinzhi attended the symposium, and relevant departments of the central and state organs, as well as officials from relevant provinces and regions, participated in the symposium.