China to accelerate modern water network construction to cope with new circumstances: expert

China is accelerating the development of a modern water network in response to new circumstances, said an official from China's General Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Planning and Design under the Ministry of Water Resources.

Li Yunling, deputy dean of the institute, highlighted the importance of the strategic move which was mentioned in outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) for national economic and social development.

She said that in the past, China prioritized water supply security, economic security, and food security by implementing large-scale water conservancy projects.

With basic needs met, the focus shifts to a systematic approach: harnessing synergies among water conservancy projects, optimizing water resource allocation, and strengthening water security resilience, Li said.

"The 15th Five-Year Plan outlines the accelerated advancement of the national water network as a major national project. This marks a shift in China's water security governance from addressing localized shortcomings to systematically constructing a national water network. It also represents a comprehensive upgrade of China's water security from ensuring basic need towards supporting high-quality development," said Li.

Li said that to achieve the goals set forth in the National Water Network Construction Plan, sustained efforts need to be carried out across the 14th, 15th, and 16th Five-Year Plans.

She highlighted three key priorities for advancing China's national water network.

"First, China will accelerate the construction of the main framework and major arteries of the national water network, such as promoting the construction of the western route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Second, we will accelerate the development of a number of key water conveyance and drainage channels as well as storage and regulation projects to improve the regional water network layout and enhance the capacity for strategic water reserves. Third, we will focus on advancing the construction of a digital twin water network to raise the level of intelligent operation, management, and dispatching of the water network," said Li.

China to accelerate modern water network construction to cope with new circumstances: expert

Delegates at the 7th Local Leaders' Meeting of China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) have said they are looking to deepen practical cooperation in sectors such as artificial intelligence, green energy, digital economy and smart industry.

The opening ceremony of the 7th China-CEEC Local Leaders' Meeting and 2026 Shandong International Friendship Cities Cooperation and Exchange Week were held in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province, on Tuesday. It brought together approximately 400 participants from 44 countries, including incumbent and former political leaders, provincial and municipal governors, diplomats, and representatives from sister cities, business councils and enterprises.

Specialty agricultural products from Europe, including Bulgarian rose oil, Slovak chocolate and Polish dairy products, were displayed at the meeting venue, alongside high-end equipment and intelligent manufacturing products from Shandong.

During the event, Greece's Ionian Islands region in the west of the country formalized friendly cooperation relations with Shandong and Savas Koulouris, the deputy governor of the Ionian Islands, was happy to show off a symbolic product at his region's booth.

"The most famous fruit is kumquat. Kumquat is someone from China, too many years ago, bring this fruit to Greece, and the only place it grow up it was Corfu," he said.

The event featured a range of activities including governor dialogues, business matchmaking, and discussions focused on cooperation in different sectors.

"As Confucius said, 'To establish oneself, one must also help others establish themselves; to succeed, one must also help others succeed.' This principle is especially important in today's world facing many economic and global challenges. Cooperation is no longer an option but a necessity," said Izet Mexhiti, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intercommunity Relations of North Macedonia.

The China-CEEC cooperation mechanism was launched in 2012 as a cross-regional practical cooperation platform jointly initiated by China and CEEC and aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation and promoting common development.

Local leaders from China, CEE nations seek deeper practical cooperation