1.   China has made overall strategies directing water resources protection and sustainable use, such as “China’s water conservancy 21 century agenda”, “National long-term and medium-term supply-demand plan for water “, in which overall objects for water resources protection and sustainable use were set. In water development, China adopted the principle of sound exploitation and utilization and of saving water in all fields; strengthened basin and lake’s improvement; intensified the control over water pollution and integrated improvement; and aggressively sustained and improved natural functions as well as ecological environment of water areas.

2.   Great achievements have been made in the development and regulation of major rivers and lakes in China. Over the past 5 years, China took more actions on the comprehensive improvement of major rivers and lakes, focusing on flood prevention and integrated water withdrawal; on increasing height and consolidating key dikes at the lower reaches of the Chang River and Huang River, and those along the Huai, Hai , Shonghua and Liao rivers, and those around lakes such the Tai Lake; and on river course regulation and the construction of flood buffering areas. Until now, a series of large-scale water projects with key control functions and comprehensive benefits have been completed in China. In order to solve water shortage problems in North China, Chinese government positively propelled the course of planning and construction in regard with inter-basin diversion projects. China also organized demonstration conference on the Middle Line, Eastern Line and Western Line schemes for the Project of Transferring Water from South to North China.

3.   More attention has been paid at integrated polluted water improvement in major river basins. Since 1994, China has implemented integrated pollution prevention projects at basins of the Huai, Hai and Liao rivers as well as the Tai, Dian and Cao lakes, which was called “ the Three River and Three Lake project”. In 1995, Chinese government issued “Temporary Items on Water Pollution Prevention at the Huai River Basin”; drafted “The Huai River Basin Water Pollution Prevention Program and ‘Ninth Five’ Plan” ; and set total emission volume to control water pollutant in the Huai Basin as well as maximum allowed emission volume for main cities, towns and pollutant exits. Meanwhile, Chinese government drew the deadline before which those paper plants with production capability lower than 5000 tons must be closed forcefully. Up to June 30 ,1996, 1111 paper plants along the Huai River involving four provinces were shut down. As a result, annual COD emission in the area reduced by 346 thousand tons and 15% of the year’s planed cut-down volume was achieved.

4.     Great progress has been made concerning water-saving technology development as well as demonstrative project constructions in agricultural field. Chinese government has organized and drafted “China’s Irrigated Agriculture Water-saving Development Program”, set technical criteria for various water-saving projects according to Chinese specific conditions and drew up a detailed plan directing the construction of large-scale water-saving irrigation demonstrative areas. Today, the area benefited from water-saving irrigation projects totals 13.33 million hm ² in China. And, a series of practical water-saving technologies have been developed, which laid a good foundation for the construction of 300 key counties containing demonstrative projects of water-saving irrigation.

5.   Positively propelled the construction of drinking water projects in poverty-stricken rural areas. In 1990, Chinese government began to implement drinking water projects in poor rural areas. Since 1991, 145 thousand projects have been constructed, 470 thousand drinking wells dug and 199 thousand water-collecting facilities built, which solved 174 million people’s drinking problem in rural areas. Cooperated with United Nation’s Children foundation, a trinity project involving water, environment, hygiene and health education has been conducted and rudimentary progress made. The project strongly popularized low-cost water-supply ways and spread hygiene knowledge to peasants. For instance, in Shanxi province, a project named “Dew Plan” has been implemented, which solved 4 million people’s drinking problem within 3 years; in Inner Mongolia, 3.8 million herdsmen’s drinking problem also be solved within 3 years; and, in Xinjiang , Gansu and other western provinces, drinking problems have been alleviated through the implementation of a series drinking projects.

6.   Implementation of deeper water resources exploitation and utilization projects in West China. China adopted inclined policy to develop water resources in West China. A batch of integrated water conservancy projects, such as Wuruwati Reservoir Project in Xinjiang, Mangla Reservoir Project in Tibet, Wangerhe Reservoir Project in Guizhou, Heiquan Reservoir Project, Yanghuang Irrigation Project in Ninxia and Changma Reservoir project in Gansu, with the implementation and completion of them,   will undoubtedly play a very important role in driving social and economic development of middle-western parts in China, changing poor and backward looks, improving ecological environment and strengthening unity with the people of all ethnic groups in China.