Country to share President's insight into water practices at world forum

The Ministry of Water Resources will unveil an English language publication showcasing President Xi Jinping's insights into water resources management in China during the upcoming 10th World Water Forum, in order to enhance global understanding of the nation's successful strategies in addressing water challenges.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, the country "has made historical achievements and undergone transformative changes in water management", Li Guoying, minister of water resources, told China Daily in an exclusive interview.

Li will attend the forum, which will open in Bali, Indonesia, on Saturday.

China made such commendable progress by rolling out a series of innovative and strategic measures following the strategic approach proposed by Xi on water resources governance, which involves "prioritizing water conservation, balancing spatial distribution, taking systematic approaches and giving full play to the roles of both government and the market", Li said.

The forum, which will run through May 25, is themed "Water for Shared Prosperity". It will gather high-level officials, experts, entrepreneurs and economists from all over the world, who will share their knowledge, experiences and practices on a wide range of topics related to water.

With the new publication on President Xi's insights into water resources management, "we are eager to engage in more discussions with our international counterparts regarding our water resources management principles, deliberate on efficient strategies, share experiences, and persistently strive to address universal water security challenges", Li said.

Citing the inundation of the Haihe River Basin last year, which was the most devastating incident of flooding in the area since 1963, the minister said the country has been able to conquer some historically rare drought and flooding disasters in its major watercourses by continuously strengthening its water resources management system.

This has helped significantly reduce the proportion of economic losses caused by flooding in the country's GDP, he said. On average, the proportion stood at 0.24 percent each year from 2014 to 2023, compared with 0.51 percent from 2004 to 2013.

China has also seen a significant boost in its water supply capacity, thanks to the implementation of major water diversion projects, Li said.

To date, the initial phases of the middle and eastern routes of the country's giant South-to-North Water Diversion Project have transferred more than 70 billion cubic meters of water, benefiting over 176 million people, he noted.

houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn