| Covering an area of more than 70,000 square km, it accounts for 40 percent of the province's total land mass. The new round of development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt is of strategic significance for the province, according to local authorities.
"Like the relationship between a string and two pearls, the Yangtze River Economic Belt unites two important circles - the Wuhan-centered city cluster and the ecological and cultural tourism area," said Zhang Changer, a member of the Hubei provincial standing committee of the Communist Party of China.
In the 1980s, authorities mapped out a building strategy for the middle reaches of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
Now, in an effort to benefit from major development opportunities, the province is focusing on expanding industrial bases and overhauling transport facilities.
"We should focus on green-oriented development and reasonable utilization," Zhang said, emphasizing Hubei's ecological requirements.
Making full use of the Yangtze River's transport capabilities, the province is promoting industrialization and urbanization along the waterway.
The Yangtze River Economic Belt is projected to be an eco-friendly economy by 2020.
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The Hubei pavilion exterior showcases a design based on the ancient Chinese word "water" and is decorated with a pheonix pattern at the ongoing World Expo in Shanghai. Provided to China Daily
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Wuhan-centered city group, named as a national pilot area for a resources-saving and environment-friendly society by the State Council in 2007, is emerging as a regional industrial hub. Provided to China Daily
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(China Daily 07/16/2010 page12)
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