The State Council has approved a national territorial spatial plan for Fuzhou, the capital city of East China's Fujian Province, for the 2021-2035 period, according to an official reply issued on Dec 12.

As a national comprehensive transportation hub, Fuzhou holds significant importance as a major city on the southeast coast of China and a national historical and cultural city.

As per the reply, by 2035, the total area of cultivated land in Fuzhou should be no less than 1.4213 million mu, of which the protection area for permanent basic farmland should be at least 1.2672 million mu, and the red line area for ecological protection should not be less than 5,082.05 square kilometers.

The reply urged Fuzhou to build an important platform for exchanges and cooperation among countries and regions along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road to deeply integrate into the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative.

In the meantime, it should strengthen exchange and cooperation across the Strait, and align with the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region and the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

More efforts should be made to accelerate the construction of an urban system with regional coordination and integrated urban and rural areas, improve service capabilities of downtown areas, enhance Fuqing urban area’s capacity for driving the development of surrounding areas and promote coordinated development with the Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone.

The circular also stressed the need to fortify ecological barriers in western mountainous areas and protect the ecological systems of rivers. Fuzhou should also take more steps to improve the spatial layout for modern urban agriculture, expand the production space for local agricultural specialties and guarantee the space demand for modern marine ranches.

It also asked to give priority to guaranteeing space for the development of scientific and technological innovation, advanced manufacturing and modern service industries.

To build a comprehensive urban transport network that is safe, convenient, green and low-carbon, Fuzhou should strengthen its function as an aviation and shipping hub and improve external and internal channels with multi-directional connectivity and multimodal transport.

In addition, the protection mechanism for cultural and natural heritages should be improved, according to the reply.