BEIJING, April 2 -- The Yangtze River, the longest waterway in China, saw further improvement in its water quality in 2023 as the country continued its efforts to protect this river, an official said Tuesday.

It was the fourth consecutive year that the main stream of the Yangtze River was found to have Grade II water quality, the second-highest level in the country's five-tier water quality system, according to the official from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

In 2023, the quality of the water in 95.6 percent of sections of the Yangtze River Economic Belt had stood above Grade III -- an increase of 1.1 percentage points year on year, said the NDRC official.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to conservation of the Yangtze. To restore biodiversity along the river, China implemented a full fishing ban in 332 conservation areas of the Yangtze River basin in January 2020. This initiative was later expanded to a 10-year fishing moratorium along the river's main streams and major tributaries, effective Jan. 1, 2021.