Shanxi strengthens Yellow River basin governance

Shanxi province will continue to strengthen the governance of the Yellow River basin, ensuring ecological security while promoting high-quality development, national lawmakers said on Friday during a group discussion at the ongoing fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress.

Tang Dengjie, a deputy to the 14th NPC and Party chief of the province, emphasized the critical importance of environmental protection and ecological conservation across the basin. He advocated for ongoing carbon reduction and a sweeping green transition in various industries.

Similarly, Shanxi Governor Lu Dongliang highlighted the significance of energy transition over the next five years, placing particular emphasis on securing energy supply. While acknowledging the progress made in energy transformation, the NPC deputy stressed the necessity for green production, clean transportation, and eco-friendly consumption throughout the province, all powered by new technologies.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), Shanxi achieved record environmental improvements, with several ecological indicators reaching their best levels since monitoring began. Notably, the comprehensive air quality index dropped by 28 percent, and the proportion of days with good air quality rose to 81.4 percent, according to data released at the group discussion.

"The level of green development across the province continues to rise, marking substantial progress in building a beautiful Shanxi," said Li Yunfeng, Party chief of Linfen, a city entirely situated within the basin in the province. Li characterized Linfen as a microcosm of the province's environmental protection efforts, emphasizing its leadership in green and low-carbon industrial development and the need to address environmental challenges related to water, mountains, and air.

He stated that the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30) represents a pivotal time for further beautifying China, announcing that there will be a stronger focus on advancing energy transition and diversifying the economy to transform Linfen into a model city for environmental protection and ecological conservation in the basin. As a typical resource-dependent city and heavy industry hub, he said that Linfen has faced significant challenges due to its reliance on resources and environmental pressures.

"In the past, due to environmental issues, many residents wore masks during autumn and winter and avoided wearing light-colored clothing outdoors," Li recalled. "Pollution not only severely impacted people's health and daily lives but also caused key economic indicators to decline, ranking the city at the bottom within the province."

Over the last decade, and particularly in recent years, Linfen has implemented numerous measures to prioritize environmental improvement, including shutting down many high-energy-consuming enterprises and relocating or closing coking plants, according to him.

"The city shut down or phased out 9.15 million tons of coking capacity and 220,000 tons of crude steel capacity in the past five years, achieving zero heavy pollution enterprises in the city and its surroundings," he specified.

He revealed that a total of 95 projects aimed at purifying the Yellow River, including water conservancy hubs and pumped storage power stations, have also been initiated — the highest number in the province. Moreover, the city has accelerated the implementation of modern agriculture and cultural tourism projects along the Yellow River, he said, adding that it has also completed digital and intelligent upgrades for the majority of its steel, coking, and foundry enterprises, with over 86 percent of bulk goods in traditional industries transported cleanly.