Illegal berths, sand-mining targeted along Yangtze River

A more vigorous campaign will be conducted to stop illegal sand-mining activities and eliminate squatter berths and docks along the Yangtze River, according to the National Development and Reform Commission.

A newly released guideline from the commission's leading group promoting development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt includes strengthened scrutiny over protection of the river's banks to help recover the river's ecosystem.

Luo Guosan, director of the commission's fundamental industry department, said new technologies such as drones, cloud platforms and big data, will be used to reinforce supervision of ports and docks to prevent illegal activities.