China to increase fiscal support for Yangtze River Economic Belt development

BEIJING -- China will increase fiscal and tax support to promote high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, a State Council executive meeting said on Wednesday.

The meeting, chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, also reviewed and adopted an outline for women's development in China during the 2021-2030 period and an outline for children's development in China during the 2021-2030 period.

Efforts should be made to support ecological conservation in provinces and cities along the Yangtze River and coordinate protection and restoration of the ecology of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands, said the meeting.

Fishing in pivotal waters of the Yangtze River should be banned, and efforts should go into helping fishermen who relinquished their nets as required by a 10-year fishing moratorium, the meeting said.

Provinces and cities along the Yangtze River should be encouraged to build pilot free trade zones and comprehensive bonded zones, the meeting said.

It underlined supporting small and medium-sized enterprises to explore the international market and promoting the transformation and upgrading of foreign trade.

The meeting noted that remarkable achievements have been made in the development of women and children in China in recent years.

The outlines set out objectives and measures in areas including health, education, social security and welfare, family, the environment and the law, and require implementing the fundamental national policy of gender equality.

Women's equal rights to education, employment, starting businesses, and participating in decision-making and management must be protected, the outlines said.

The social security system and the legal system should be improved to meet women's needs and protect their lawful rights and interests, the outlines noted.

More attention should go to protecting children in families, schools, society, and on the internet. Compulsory education will remain the top priority of education investment, said the outlines.

Support measures for the three-child policy should be improved and multiple measures will be introduced to reduce the burden of childbearing, parenting, and education on families, the outlines noted.