The State Council approved setting up a national innovation demonstration zone for sustainable development in Hainan Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Northwest China's Qinghai province, according to an official reply released on July 15.

Focusing on the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and China's national plan for implementation, and in accordance with the construction of the innovation demonstration zones, the circular urged integrated application of technologies involving ecological conservation, clean energy, and ecological agriculture and animal husbandry.

Actions should protect and improve the ecosystem, promote green development of ecological agriculture and animal husbandry, foster new drivers of growth, boost ecological culture and tourism to benefit the local people and support scientific and technological innovation, to serve as a demonstration for ecological protection and management, and coordinated development of the ecological industry in headwater regions and provide practical experience for implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the circular said.

The government of Qinghai province should establish and improve the coordination mechanism of related work, according to the circular.

In building the innovation demonstration zones, the circular said, the Ministry of Science and Technology should cooperate with member units of the inter-ministerial joint conference of the national experimental zone for sustainable development to support Hainan Tibetan autonomous prefecture in arranging major projects, piloting policies, and innovating systems and mechanisms.