In order to implement the major national strategy of protecting the ecology of the Yellow River basin and high-quality development and promote the high-quality development of Zhengzhou, Xi’an and Luoyang and the Yellow River Golden Triangle of Henan, Shanxi and Shanxi Provinces, on September 14th, the Yellow River Basin Innovative Development Forum themed “implement major national strategy and boast high-quality regional development” was held in Sanmenxia. Seven cities from three provinces including Zhengzhou, Xi’an, Luoyang, Yuncheng, Weinan, Sanmenxia and Linfen gathered together to make regional collaborations and offer suggestions for the ecology protection of the Yellow River basin and high-quality development through keynote speeches, Q&A, project signing and launching joint declarations.

Zhang Junkuo, vice director of the Development Research Center of the State Council, Xie Yu’an, vice chairman of the Henan Committee of the CPPCC, Wang Yi, member of the Standing Committee of the 13th NPC and vice president of the Institutes of Science and Development, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hou Yongzhi, director of the Department of Development Strategy and Regional Economy of the Development Research Center of the State Council, Zhao Changwen, director of the Research Department of Industrial Economy of the Development Research Center of the State Council, Li Xiaohui, Chief Risk Officer of the Agriculture Development Bank of China and secretary of the Party committee and president of the Henan branch, Ma Mingjie, director of the Research Department of Innovative Development of the Development Research Center of the State Council; Yue Zongwei, vice director of the General Office of the Development Research Center of the State Council, Zhu Liyang, director of the Resource and Environment Department of the China International Engineering Consulting Corporation, Zhang Xueliang, executive president of Institute for Yangtze River Delta and Yangtze River Economic Belt Development of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Li Xiongbin, vice director of the Shanxi Province Development and Reform Commission, Li Yingwei, vice director of the Henan Province Development and Reform Commission attended the forum. Municipal leaders including Liu Nanchang, An Wei, Wang Zaiwen, Fan Fuzhong, Niu Lanying, Guo Hongxun, Gao Yongrui, Liu Huilin, municipal second-class counsel and Guo Zhongyi, secretary general of municipal government attended the forum.

Zhang Junkuo addressed the forum and made the keynote speech. He pointed out that the ecology protection of the Yellow River basin and high-quality development is of great significance for the great revival of the Chinese nation. The Central Committee of the CPC focuses heavily on the protection and development of the Yellow River basin. The General Secretary Xi Jinping has inspected the Yellow River in person several times and issued a series of important instructions and notices on this. It is of great significance for us to hold the forum on the first anniversary of the ecology protection of the Yellow River basin and high-quality development meeting and at the time of the initial implementation of the outline development plan of the ecology protection of the Yellow River basin and high-quality development. He pointed out in his keynote speech Fulfil Missions, Serve the Overall Interests and Build the Central Strategic Supportive Zone of the Yellow River Basin with Concerted Efforts that to build the central strategic supportive zone of the Yellow River Basin with the axis of Zhengzhou and Xi’an and other cities including Luoyang, Sanmenxia, Yuncheng, Weinan and Linfen is not only the demand of the high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin but also the demand of improving the strategic layout of national regional development. To build the central strategic supportive zone of the Yellow River Basin calls for comprehensively deepening reform, deepening structural supply-side reform, furthering opening-up in an all-round way and strengthening innovative cooperation. Sanmenxia connects Luoyang and Zhengzhou on the east, Yuncheng and Xi’an on the west, which is an important part of the Yellow River Golden Triangle of Henan, Shanxi and Shanxi Provinces and a critical pivot to build the central strategic supportive zone of the Yellow River Basin. Hope that through the full implementation of the outline development plan of the ecology protection of the Yellow River basin and high-quality development, Sanmenxia can make greater contributions to the ecology protection of the Yellow River basin and high-quality development.

Xie Yu’an pointed out that since last year, Henan has been actively seizing the major national strategic opportunity of the ecology protection of the Yellow River basin and high-quality development and going further in learning from the spirits of the important speeches of the General Secretary Xi Jinping, thinking improvement and vigorous implementation and making “the Yellow River become the happy river for the people”. Profoundly grasping the direction and position, key and path of the ecology protection of the Yellow River basin and high-quality development and taking “building the Yellow River ecological protection demonstration area, the main landmark of the Yellow River history and culture and regional growth engine for the national high-quality development” as leverage, Henan started from the beginning while highlighting the key points, improved while exploring and deepening continuously and took a lead in implementing the major national strategy to promote the ecology protection of the Yellow River basin and high-quality development strategy to take root in Henan. Zhengzhou, Luoyang and Sanmenxia should take this exchange opportunity and learn the good experience and practices in promoting the Yellow River basin and high-quality development strategy from brother cities along the Yellow River including Xi’an, Weinan, Yuncheng and Linfen carefully. They also should ask the scholars and experts in related fields for advice modestly, constantly broaden their horizon and thinking and improve innovative and work ability. Hope that these cities can work more closely in strengthening the basin’s cooperative management, exploring cultural resources to promote cultural and tourism integration and accelerating the realization of coordinated high-quality development, and actively build the uplifted belt of the Yellow River basin high-quality development and the demonstration area of the integrated rise of central China and western China.

Wang Yi, Hou Yongzhi, Zhao Changwen, Ma Mingjie, and Zhang Xueliang made the keynote speeches titled Ecological Civilization Construction Against New Background and Promoting the High-Quality Protection and Green Development of the Yellow River Basin, Thoughts on Building High-Quality Development Driving Systems, Use Industrial Chain Innovation to Lead the Economic Circulation, Support the Enterprise to Innovate Against the Trend to Facilitate Transformation and Upgrade, Directions and Paths of the High-quality Development of Zhengzhou, Luoyang and Xi’an respectively. They pictured the blueprint for the collaboration and innovation of the Yellow River Basin and the high-quality cooperation business of four cities of the Yellow River Golden Triangle of Henan, Shanxi and Shanxi Provinces and Zhengzhou, Luoyang and Xi’an.

Municipal Party Secretary, Liu Nanchang delivered a keynote speech surrounding “Planning and Building the Innovative Corridor of Zhengzhou, Luoyang and Xi’an”. He pointed out that Zhengzhou, Luoyang and Xi’an are geographically and culturally connected, which have been working and developing together since ancient times. Taking building “the innovative corridor of Zhengzhou, Luoyang and Xi’an” as the leverage to support the ecology protection of the Yellow River basin and high-quality development is the restoration of the historical position of the regions along Zhengzhou, Luoyang and Xi’an line and the demand of real development as well, which suits the time and enjoys immense significance. To build the innovative corridor of Zhengzhou, Luoyang and Xi’an could not only benefit the link of the strategy of the Rise of Central China and the strategy of West China Development and amplifying the driving force of central cities, but also fostering a new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other, which helps the promotion of the Yellow River protection and the protection, inheritance and carrying forward of the Yellow River culture. To build the innovative corridor of Zhengzhou, Luoyang and Xi’an, it is important to grasp the major strategies of the ecology protection of the Yellow River basin and high-quality development, make greater efforts in innovation, push forward opening up and reform with a higher start, higher level and higher goals and do well in four fields including the protection of the Yellow River, the replacement of old growth drivers with new ones and building modern industrial systems, inheriting the Yellow River culture and strengthening the exemplary role to push forward the sustainable development of the ecology protection of the Yellow River basin and high-quality development strategy.

During the mayor’s speech and the Q&A session, Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Xi’an, Yuncheng, Weinan, Linfen, Sanmenxia and other cities introduced their achievements in the ecology protection of the Yellow River basin and high-quality development in the past year. Related officials from the reform and development departments of Henan, Shanxi and Shanxi provinces answered the questions about the basic positioning and next steps of the ecology protection of the Yellow River basin and high-quality development strategy. An Wei, deputy secretary of the Municipal Party Committee and mayor introduced the progress of related work in Sanmenxia. He pointed out that, in recent years, Sanmenxia has actively responded to respond to the call of the General Secretary Xi Jinping to “make the Yellow River become the happy river for the people”. Sanmenxia has carried out the Yellow River ecological construction “hundred, thousand and ten thousand ” project of “the restoration of the hundreds of kilometers of the Yellow River wetland, the construction of thousands of kilometers of green corridors and the restoration of tens of thousands of acres of mines” and the comprehensive management of the major tributaries of the Yellow River, cultivated new platforms for innovative development, built new development driving force and shaped new city image. Sanmenxia is trying to build the demonstration area of the ecology protection of the Yellow River basin and high-quality development. Sanmenxia will take this forum as an opportunity to earnestly learn from the advanced experience of the brother provinces and cities. Making full use of the great development opportunity of “Zhengzhou, Xi’an and Luoyang”, Sanmenxia will continuously strengthen strategic interaction, innovation drive, development linkage, innovate cooperation models and development mechanisms and continue to expand in-depth cooperation in the fields of project construction, culture and tourism, economic and trade exchanges, talent exchanges, ecological protection, etc. It will accelerate the construction of a new open paradigm of the Yellow River Golden Triangle of Henan, Shanxi and Shanxi Provinces connecting the east and south and integrating the west and north and strive to create a new chapter for the ecology protection of the Yellow River basin and high-quality development.

Through the preliminary exchanges and cooperation and the docking and negotiation during this forum, this forum has achieved fruitful cooperation results. Seven cooperation agreements have been signed initially. Yuncheng, Weinan, Sanmenxia and Linfen launched The Declaration of Building the Green Development Demonstration Area of the Yellow River Basin Together.

The attendees of the forum also investigated the projects including the hundreds of kilometers of ecological corridor of the Yellow River and ecological restoration and governance in person.