The first Yangtze River Economic Belt - Dahu Forum was held at the Hunan Institute of Science and Technology on December 11, 2021. More than 100 representatives from government departments, universities, and scientific research institutes gathered in Yueyang to discuss the promotion of high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Dongting Lake Ecological and Economic Zone. Yang Weigang, deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Hunan Provincial People's Congress, attended.

Yang noted that Dongting Lake is a shining pearl of the Yangtze River and the Dongting Lake Ecological and Economic Zone a distinctive part of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. It is of great significance for the forum to have an overall thinking and research by putting the ecological and economic development of Dongting Lake under the national strategy of the Yangtze River Economic Zone. In recent years, Hunan has implemented President Xi Jinping’s thoughts on ecological civilization; kept in mind his entrustment of “protecting the Yangtze River”; paid close attention to the rectification of prominent problems in the ecological environment of the Yangtze River and Dongting Lake; and, made Hunan’s contribution to the construction of a pristine and beautiful Yangtze River.

With the promulgation and implementation of the “Yangtze River Protection Law” and the “Regulations on the Protection of the Dongting Lake in Hunan Province”, relevant government departments have paid more attention to scientific research on the protection of Dongting Lake, and supported universities and scientific research institutions to carry out special research on the ecological environment of the Dongting Lake. This forum brought together the wisdom of the people and promoted their respective strengths; deepened the linkage between the river and the lake and exchanged and shared ideas; practiced new development philosophy in the Yangtze River Economic Belt; and, jointly promoted the high-quality development of the Dongting Lake Ecological and Economic Zone, he added.

The Dongting Lake Ecological Research Institute was inaugurated at the forum. Chen Wensheng, dean of the China Rural Revitalization Research Institute of the Hunan Normal University, announced that the second forum will be held at Hunan University of Arts and Science in 2022.

Source: en.yueyang.gov.cn