Minister praises China's achievements in water resources management

BEIJING, March 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The following article was published today by China Daily.By committing to a people-centered approach, China has made remarkable achievements in water resources management in the past 10 years, managing to support consistent economic growth with stable water consumption, the minister of water resources said. 

Li Guoying made the remarks in an exclusive interview with China Daily ahead of the UN 2023 Water Conference, a three-day gathering that will start on Wednesday, which is World Water Day. 

With its annual total water consumption controlled within 610 billion cubic meters, China has managed to support an average annual economic growth rate of about 6 percent, he said. 

The minister also highlighted achievements China has made in optimizing the allocation of water resources and improving rural water supply. 

Supported by a batch of water diversion projects, China's annual water supply capacity has exceeded 890 billion cubic meters, he said. About 87 percent of its rural population had access to tap water by the end of 2022, up 11 percentage points from 2015. 

The Chinese government has always regarded people's aspirations to live a better life as its goal, Li stressed. 

By comprehensively implementing the new development philosophy, he said, China has striven to properly balance the relationship between development and protection and promote the harmonious coexistence between humanity and water.

Li also underscored China's efforts to ramp up cooperation with other nations on international water resources. 

The efforts have helped improve people's livelihoods in countries affiliated with the Belt and Road Initiative, he said. For example, the Lancang-Mekong Sweet Spring Project, a program China rolled out in 2020, has addressed the problems that around 7,000 residents in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar had obtaining safe drinking water. 

Water resources management projects supported by China have injected new impetus into local economic development, Li said. Thanks to the China-built Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric project that began operating in 2016, for instance, Ecuador no longer needs to depend on imported energy. 

China has offered many training opportunities to BRI countries, he said. To date, online and on-site trainings have been provided for nearly 4,000 water resource management technicians and officials from 112 countries. 

Li said China has established five overseas technology transfer and capacity building centers. 

The ministry has conducted extensive cooperation with more than 10 UN bodies, including UNICEF and United Nations Development Programme, in many areas, he said. 

The International Network on Small Hydro Power, established in 1994 following an initiative of China, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and UNDP, consists of over 480 members from 80 countries and regions, he said. With three regional centers in Asia, Africa and South America, the network has rolled out a series of international cooperation on rural energy supply, environmental protection and poverty relief. 

By HOU LIQIANG

SOURCE China Daily