KEEPING WATERS CLEAR

Rippling blue waves, lush green trees and twittering birds make summer the most pleasant season at the Xixi wetland in Hangzhou, the capital of East China's Zhejiang province.

Few could today imagine that over 20 years ago, the rivers there were filled with litter and many residents chose to move away. The turning point came in 2003, when a wetland conservation program was launched with the support of Xi, then secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee. Drastic changes have since taken place, and the wetland even becomes China's first national wetland park.

During a visit there in March 2020, Xi called for giving top priority to wetland protection and making maximum efforts to maintain the ecology and water environments of wetlands.

The wetland's changes offered a glimpse into China's efforts, led by Xi, to combat water pollution, restore sound ecosystems and promote sustainable growth.

Xi has undertaken extensive inspections and spearheaded green development initiatives along China's longest waterway the Yangtze River, and visited all nine provinces and autonomous regions along the Yellow River, the second longest.

The idea that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" was proposed by Xi, and it has emerged as a guiding principle in China's pursuit of green development.

More than 1.2 million officials are serving as river and lake chiefs nationwide. A 10-year fishing ban has been implemented in the pivotal waters of the Yangtze River to protect aquatic biodiversity. Green development within the Yangtze River Economic Belt has advanced vigorously.

Thanks to these concerted efforts, rivers and lakes in China are under better protection and have witnessed improved water quality. Good-quality surface water accounted for 87.9 percent of all the country's surface water last year, up from 67.9 percent in 2017.