An aerial photo taken on Oct. 8, 2023 shows boats sailing at a section of the Xiling Gorge along the Yangtze River in Zigui County, central China's Hubei Province. (Photo by Zheng Jiayu/Xinhua)

China's State Council has approved guidelines aimed at promoting the conservation, development, utilization and restoration of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and its basin.

The economic belt and river basin should safeguard grain production, ecology, flood control and cultural heritage within a well-coordinated conservation framework, which is expected to be established by 2025, as per the guidelines drafted by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The guidelines also anticipate the economic belt to demonstrate ecological progress, regional connectivity and enhanced livability by 2035.

The guidelines steer the spatial planning of land, inland waters and maritime areas along the economic belt and river basin, incorporating over 1,100 county-level regions, according to the ministry.

Originating on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Yangtze River is China's longest waterway, running more than 6,300 km through 11 provincial-level regions before flowing into the East China Sea. A number of the country's economic powerhouses, megacities and major rice-producing areas are located along the river basin.