The State Council released a circular on May 14, approving the plan to build Chengde city into an innovation demonstration zone of implementing the country’s sustainable development agenda, focusing on water conservation functional zones for city clusters.

Chengde will strictly adhere to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and China’s national plan of implementation, amid efforts to strengthen water conservation and targeted poverty alleviation, according to the circular.

The circular also said multiple technologies will be adopted to save water resources, plant trees, restore degenerated grasslands, and prevent desertification, in order to improve water conservation.

Internet Plus tourism and standardized manufacturing of green farm produce will be applied to foster green industries and advance targeted poverty relief.

It said Chengde should explore effective technical routes and systematic solutions through the coordination of various innovation resources and deepened institutional reforms, and a well-operated and replicable mode is expected.

As a pilot zone of implementing the sustainable development agenda, Chengde will play an exemplary role for other ecological function zones and will accumulate experiences for delivering the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.