Bai Yugang, head of the publicity department of the Shandong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, speaks during a group interview on the sidelines of the ongoing 20th CPC National Congress, Oct 19, 2022. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Shandong province, where the Yellow River flows into the Bohai Sea after zigzagging through nine provincial regions, has taken up the mission of boosting ecological conservation and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, said a top official from the province at a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon.

To put it simply, Shandong shoulders the mission and responsibility to ensure the safety and peace of the Yellow River, to protect the river's water amount and quality, to guarantee the livelihood and development of people living along the river basin, and to inherit and promote the Yellow River-nurtured culture, said Bai Yugang, head of the publicity department of the Shandong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Shandong has been adapting to a new development philosophy, enhancing innovation-driven development and promoting the ecological conservation of the Yellow River Basin, Bai said at a media conference Wednesday afternoon, which was held during the ongoing 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Bai talked about the "systematic treatment" of the basin, which features the restoration and conservation of water, air and soil.

Great efforts have been made toward restoring the wetland at the Yellow River Delta, and the wetland area at the delta has reached 1,130 square kilometers, a 20 percent growth over the past years, Bai said.

"Whether the ecological environment is good or not, birds know the best," said Bai. "The number of bird species at the delta has doubled to reach 371 from 187. The delta is now the largest breeding place for oriental storks, showcasing the achievements in ecological conservation and environment improvement".

In addition, the province has stepped up efforts in promoting green, low-carbon and high-quality development with new development concepts, making people live a better life, telling stories nurtured by the Yellow River in better ways and promoting the cooperation with other provincial regions along the river.

A total of 600,000 residents in Shandong have been relocated to new communities from the Yellow River's floodplain, an area frequently threatened by rising water, which lowered crop yields and necessitated expensive repairs of houses.

At the conference, Bai said Shandong will continue to make all-around solid efforts on promoting ecological conservation and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin.