The ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin is another major national spatial development strategy, after the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta. Since the Yellow River strategy was proposed, the academic community has carried out research within different disciplines, playing an active role in the formulation and implementation of relevant policies.

Traversing the country from west to east, the Yellow River flows through nine provinces and regions including Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong. The Yellow River basin is not only an ecologically vulnerable area and an important area of ecological function, but also a major grain producing area and an area rich in resources and energy, occupying a vital position in national economic and social development, said An Shuwei, a professor from the College of Urban Economics and Public Administration at the Capital University of Economics and Business. 

Fang Lan, a professor from the Northwest Institute of Historical Environment and Socio-Economic Development at Shaanxi Normal University, said that compared with other national strategic regions, the natural conditions, geographic location and economic foundations of the Yellow River basin are relatively weak, and its unbalanced and inadequate development is also a prominent issue. Whether or not the Yellow River basin can achieve high-quality development is directly related to the common prosperity of the Chinese people and the long-term stability of the country.

For a long time, the mode of economic development of the Yellow River basin has mainly consisted of agricultural production and energy development, which are not compatible with the resource and environmental characteristics and weak environmental carrying capacity of the basin. It is urgent to promote ecological protection and high-quality economic development in the region, Fang suggested. 

An Shuwei mentioned six important aspects involved in the high-quality development of the basin: ecological priorities, market efficiency, improvement of the driving force for development, industrial support, regional coordination and people-oriented concepts. Comprehensive consideration should be given to economic, social, ecological and other factors to build the region into an ecological economic belt linking east and west and an important pillar of national economic development.

The advancement of the Yellow River strategy is a complex systematic project. Fang added that ecological protection and high-quality development of the basin requires the concerted efforts of multidisciplinary scholars within such fields as agronomy, ecology, economics, geography and geology. Many related issues have yet to be studied by academic circles, such as the rational development and utilization of water conservancy projects in the basin, and the safeguard mechanisms of agricultural development and food security. 

Yu Donghua, a professor from the School of Economics at Shandong University, said that as a cross-regional development strategy, the Yellow River strategy requires macro-thinking that transcends local areas, overall planning and coordinated management. Different regions in the basin should clearly define their strategic positioning from the perspectives of national, long-term and regional development.

Central cities, city clusters and metropolitan areas are typically the main zones for economic development. As such, we should further consolidate the industrial foundation of high-quality development in the Yellow River basin and strengthen the leading and influential role played by central cities and urban agglomerations. City agglomerations and major traffic lines are the key to building a dynamic economic belt along the river. According to resource and environmental carrying capacity, existing development density, and the development potential of different regions in the basin, we need to identify their respective positioning of functions and directions for development in terms of ecological protection, modern agricultural development, and population and industry concentration, said Miao Changhong, director of the Key Research Institute of Yellow River Civilization and Sustainable Development at Henan University. 

Li Qun, a research fellow from the Institute of Quantitative and Technical Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, suggested building a joint conference system and related coordination mechanism for the secretaries of the Party committees of the nine provinces and regions in the Yellow River basin. We need to establish an environmental indicator monitoring and evaluation mechanism, implement strict process management to prevent environmental pollution, and inflict severe punishment for environmental damage.

(Edited and translated by YANG LANLAN)