The State Council has approved a national territorial spatial plan for Ningbo city for the 2021-2035 period, according to an official reply issued on Nov 13.

As a national historical and cultural city, a modern coastal city, and a national comprehensive transportation hub, Ningbo city in East China's Zhejiang province holds significant importance as a major city in the Yangtze River Delta region.

As per the reply, by 2035, the total area of cultivated land in Ningbo should be no less than 2.1018 million mu, of which the protection area for permanent basic farmland should be no less than 1. 8654 million mu, and the red line area for ecological protection should be no less than 4,428.5 square kilometers.

Focusing on promoting the integration of the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, the city is urged to further participate in the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta. Meanwhile, the coordinated development between Hangzhou and Ningbo should also be pursued, according to the reply.

The reply also called for efforts to enhance the coordinated development between Ningbo's central urban area with surrounding cities and counties, optimize the layout of the modern service industry, such as shipping and logistics, and boost functions of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port as an international hub port.

Ningbo should also take steps to improve the protection mechanism for cultural and natural heritages, strengthen the protection of the Ningbo section of the Grand Canal, a world heritage project, and the Tuoshan Weir, included in the list of World Heritage Irrigation Structures, and build a spatial system for holistic protection of cultural, natural and landscape resources, the reply stressed.