Boosting Yangtze belt's economic power

In the Government Work Report he delivered to the National People's Congress on March 5, Premier Li Keqiang highlighted the importance of implementing coordinated regional development and the new urbanization strategy, citing the Yangtze Economic Belt as an example, and promised that further progress would be made in these areas.

The Yangtze Economic Belt covers 11 provinces and municipalities along the Yangtze River - including Shanghai and Chongqing municipalities, and Zhejiang and Yunnan provinces - covering an area of about 2.05 million square kilometers. The city clusters in the Yangtze River Delta area, the middle reaches of the river, and the Chengdu-Chongqing area are three major growth poles along the Yangtze Economic Belt. The region is of great significance in terms of ecology, and still has huge development potential.

The Yangtze River Delta city cluster, which has 26 cities and a population of about 152 million, is at the convergence zone of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the Yangtze Economic Belt, and boasts abundant resources and a sound urban system. The Yangtze River city cluster is the most developed, competitive and urbanized city cluster in China. It is also one of the six major world-class city clusters.