As head of the leading group, Han, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, stressed that water resources should be seen as a necessary consideration amid urban and industrial development. More efforts should be made to protect and restore ecological systems, focus on improving water quality and step up comprehensive treatment of environmental pollution, he said.

Han also urged enhancing capabilities to resist floods, improve water usage, build high-quality riverside city clusters and foster modern industrial systems with special characteristics.

The working mechanism should be improved to forge a strong force to push ecological conservation and high-quality development in the basin, he added.