The State Council has approved a national territorial spatial plan for Dongguan, South China's Guangdong province, for the 2021-2035 period, according to an official reply released on Jan 22.

As per the reply, to strengthen the spatial foundation for safe development, by 2035, the total area of cultivated land in Dongguan should be no less than 101,100 mu, of which the protection area for permanent basic farmland should be at least 100,000 mu, and the red line area for ecological protection should be no less than 361.08 square kilometers.

To build a territorial spatial system that supports the new development paradigm, the reply asked Dongguan to increase the city’s overall strength, actively take part in building the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, work together with Shenzhen and Huizhou to build the Shenzhen metropolitan area, and integrate into the Guangzhou metropolitan area.

According to the reply, Dongguan is supposed to accelerate the construction of an urban system with regional coordination and urban-rural integration. The city will build a strong ecological barrier for the southern mountains, join to promote ecological protection and restoration in the Pearl River Basin, improve the overall quality and stability of the wetland ecosystems in estuaries such as Dongjiang and Shiziyang, and systematically protect and utilize marine, island, and coastline resources.

Dongguan is asked to strengthen the coordination and interaction with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area port clusters, improve external and internal channels with multi-directional connectivity and multimodal transport, and build a comprehensive urban transport network that is safe, convenient, low-carbon and green.

The reply also noted the establishment of a sound spatial protection mechanism for cultural and natural heritages, and strengthening the protection of red cultural heritages such as the former site of the resistance base on Daling Mountain, and modern historical and cultural heritages such as the former site of the pool of Lin Zexu destroying opium and the Humen batteries.