Hot Commentary | Setting Rules and Drawing Red Lines to Protect the Yellow River

“When the Yellow River is peaceful, the world will be stable.” On October 30, the 37th Session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress adopted the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of the Yellow River, which will take effect on April 1, 2023. Following the Yangtze River Protection Law, this marks another landmark piece of legislation for the protection of China’s river basins, providing strong legal guarantees for promoting ecological conservation and high-quality development in the Yellow River basin within a rule-of-law framework.

“The ‘wide riverbed’ at the estuary now consists only of faint, feeble little streams…” These thought-provoking words were penned in 1999 by media reporters during their “Walking Along the Yellow River” coverage. From 1972 to 1999—over a span of 28 years—sections of the Yellow River’s lower mainstream experienced dry periods for as many as 22 years. At the height of the drought, the stretch of river that had dried up extended as far as 704 kilometers from the estuary. The prolonged river cuts nearly brought the river’s ecosystem to the brink of collapse, causing wetland areas to shrink and affecting the livelihoods and daily lives of local residents. Protecting and managing the Yellow River is a major issue in state governance and administration—and it is also a long-term, vital undertaking that concerns the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and its sustainable development for generations to come.

We are deeply concerned about the health of the Yellow River and are focused on its sustainable management. In Qinghai, we are safeguarding the headwaters of the Three Rivers—the “Water Tower of China”; in Gansu, we are promoting an integrated approach to the protection and restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grasslands, and deserts; in Ningxia, we are establishing a pilot zone for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River basin; and in Shandong, we are placing great emphasis on protecting the wetland ecosystems at the mouth of the Yellow River. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, we have elevated ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River basin to the level of a national strategy, laying down the “four pillars and eight supporting beams” for the river’s conservation and governance. As a result, remarkable progress has been made in controlling water and sediment in the Yellow River basin, the ecological environment has continued to improve significantly, and the region’s development levels have steadily risen. More than two decades later, those who now travel along the Yellow River will find that among all the river’s transformations, the most beautiful aspect is its ecology, and what fills people with the greatest confidence is the determination of communities along the river to pursue high-quality development.

Addressing the longstanding challenges and pain points that have long plagued the stability of the Yellow River, the Yellow River Protection Law combines a systematic, holistic approach with targeted, precise measures. For instance, based on the varying requirements of different regions, it specifically prescribes institutional measures such as maintaining the natural state of rivers and lakes, carrying out ecological restoration projects, preventing and controlling sandstorms, combating soil erosion, implementing comprehensive management of small watersheds, conducting integrated watershed governance, building silt-dam reservoirs, and providing ecological water replenishment. Another example is that, in order to break the situation of “nine dragons controlling the water,” the law clearly stipulates that the state shall establish a coordinated mechanism for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River basin, and proposes setting up a joint conference system for river and lake chiefs across provinces in the Yellow River basin, among other initiatives.

We must enhance the systematic, holistic, coordinated, and timely nature of the legal framework for protecting the Yellow River. Adhering to a unified, basin-wide approach, we need to establish clear rules and set red lines for what should be prioritized for protection and what should be prioritized for development in the Yellow River basin. Only then can we better promote green development and foster harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

The mighty river flows onward, its course winding through nine bends and loops. The enactment of the Yellow River Protection Law marks a new milestone in the protection and management of the Yellow River. Whether the legal framework can truly enhance governance effectiveness and unlock development potential hinges crucially on robust enforcement. Taking the Yellow River Protection Law as an opportunity, let us work together to ensure comprehensive protection and collaboratively advance large-scale governance. Let’s stick to the original blueprint, carry forward the work from one generation to the next, and pass the baton from one team to the next. Together, we will surely transform our mother river into a happy river that brings prosperity and well-being to the people.