Yangtze River Economic Belt

The Yangtze River Economic Belt is a region along the Yangtze River. The idea was introduced in 2014 and established in 2016, with the Chinese government aiming to increase economic growth with minimal environmental damage. Around 21% of the area of China and 40% of its population lies within the belt. Eleven province-level divisions of China are included in the YREB: Anhui, Chongqing, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shanghai, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Zhejiang.

Geography

The YREB is made up of nine provinces and two direct-administered municipalities. Around 21% of China's area lies in the belt. Poyang Lake, located within Jiangxi, is the largest freshwater lake of China and is within the YREB.

Economy

In 2021, the YREB consisted of 46% of the national GPD. Between 2016 and 2021, the YREB region saw a direct increase in economic development as a result of the plan.
As of 2020, the YREB saw an average yearly increase of 9.6% in the population of nurses per year. Growth in the nursing population was the largest in the upper regions. In 2023, the tourism industry made up 23% of the YREB's GDP.
Of cities that significantly reduced wastewater within the YREB, none saw economic regression.

Ecological impact

In 2021, air pollutants were more common in the YREB than the rest of China. The Yangtze River Economic Belt plan reduced wastewater production in the Chongqing metropolitan area by 12% per year and insignificant reductions in the Yangtze Delta. Throughout the twelfth and thirteenth five-year plans, the YREB managed to eco-economically decouple itself significantly. The Asian Development Bank noted that a lack of institutional integration of ecological policy likely weakened the effects that the YREB plan had on Jiangxi.