Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has placed high hopes and great importance on the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

In the last five years, Xi carried out three investigation tours along the river and convened three symposiums to advance the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, which accounts for more than 40 percent of China's population and economic aggregate.

The following are quotes from Xi on the development of the belt:

-- Efforts should be made to blaze a new trail of green development that gives priority to ecology, so as to provide powerful support for the high-quality and sustainable development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

-- The development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt should be promoted with well-coordinated environmental conservation efforts and excessive development should be avoided.

-- Promoting the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt is a major strategy concerning overall national development.

-- The aim is to build the economic belt into a golden economic belt featuring more beautiful ecology, smoother transport, a more coordinated economy, a more integrated market, and more scientific mechanisms.

-- The Yangtze River Economic Belt has several facets including water, roads, ports, industries, cities, and wetlands. It is an integrated system and should be developed as a whole with holistic planning.