As quoted by the Chinese political theory periodical Qiushi on October 16, 2019, President Xi Jinping, at a symposium on ecological preservation and high-quality development along the Yellow River, pointed out that China has scored impressive achivements in governance of the Yellow River since 1949, as evidenced by the anti-desertification success in Kubuqi.
As remarked by President Xi, governance and development of the Yellow River has been high on the government agenda. Under the leadership of the Chinese government, remarkable large-scale restoration has been achieved along the Yellow River, especially since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012. With a commitment to promoting ecological progress, the Chinese government has developed a systematic water governance approach dedicated to water conservation and balanced use of water resources through government-led and market-oriented efforts, thus contributing to the socioeconomic development, people’s livelihoods and eco-environment improvement in the region.
With this approach, huge progress has been made in intergrated soil erosion prevention and ecological advancement throughout the Yellow River: (1) the water-conserving capability in the upper reaches enhanced through accelerated Three-River Source eco-restoration programs; (2) the capability of conserving water and soil in the middle reaches on the Loess Plateau boosted remarkably, with the Kubuqi Desert transformed into a green land with a vegetation coverage growing to 53%; and (3) the wetland area and biodiversity in the lower reaches visibly increased.