The State Council approved a national territorial spatial plan for Heilongjiang province for the 2021-2035 period, according to an official reply released on Jan 12.

According to the reply, by 2035, the total area of cultivated land in Heilongjiang should be no less than 249.930 million mu, of which the protection area for permanent basic farmland will be no less than 203.270 million mu.

Meanwhile, the reply stressed that the red line area for ecological protection should not be less than 151,300 square kilometers and the construction land area per unit of GDP shall be reduced by no less than 40 percent.

In addition to the implementation of strategies in coordinated regional development, functional zones, new urbanization, rural revitalization and other major regional strategies, the reply also stressed that Heilongjiang should actively participate in the construction of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, be deeply integrated into the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, optimize transportation networks open to Northeast Asia, and promote the development of port clusters and the construction of platforms of opening-up.

Heilongjiang is asked to accelerate building large bases, enterprises, and industries of modern agriculture, serving as the "ballast stone" of the country's grain security, said the reply.

It called for strict protection and classified management for water areas of such rivers and lakes as the Heilongjiang River, Songhuajiang River and Nenjiang River.

While stepping up the building of the Harbin metropolitan area, the reply also stressed the construction of basic infrastructure including important land routes, river and sea lanes, and energy pipelines, and overall protection of cultural and natural heritages.