The State Council approved a national territorial spatial plan for Jilin province for the 2021-2035 period, according to an official reply released on Dec 19.

Located in the center of Northeast Asia geographically, Jilin, an important commodity grain base and old industrial base, is important for China opening up to Northeast Asia.

According to the reply, by 2035, the total area of cultivated land in Jilin should be no less than 109.44 million mu, and the red line area for ecological protection should not be less than 53,600 square kilometers.

The reply stressed strengthening coordination and interaction between the city clusters of Harbin and Changchun and of the central and southern Liaoning and Shandong Peninsula, promoting alignment with major regional development strategies such as the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and actively participating in the construction of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor.

Efforts should be made to build Jilin into an important window for China opening up to the north and a central hub for regional cooperation in Northeast Asia, further making new breakthroughs in the overall revitalization of Northeast China, the reply said.

The reply also stressed safeguarding ecological security barriers of forests in eastern Jilin and of windbreak and sand containment in western Jilin.

In the meantime, Jilin is asked to leverage its advantages in rich natural and civilization resources such as ice and snow, forests, borders, and folk customs, and intensify protection of historical and cultural heritages.