Illegal sand mining eliminated in main stream of Yangtze River

China has essentially eliminated large-scale illegal sand mining in the main stream of the Yangtze River and seen its aquatic environment improve significantly thanks to government efforts to conserve the country's longest watercourse, officials said.

The officials spoke on Monday during a forum themed on Yangtze conservation in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, which marked the third anniversary of a symposium presided over by President Xi Jinping on promoting the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt in the city.

During the symposium, Xi called for all-out efforts to protect the Yangtze, saying there should be no large-scale development of the watercourse.

By HOU LIQIANG in Beijing and LIU KUN in Wuhan | CHINA DAILY