He Wei, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), stressed the importance of ecological protection and high-quality development in areas surrounding the Qinling Mountains during a symposium on June 9.

Guided by the CPPCC National Committee, the meeting was hosted by the CPPCC Shaanxi Provincial Committee with the participation of six other provincial-level CPPCC committees of Henan, Hubei, Chongqing, Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai.

He, also executive vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party, said more efforts are needed to incorporate the Qinling ecological protection initiative into the country's existing strategies for the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Yellow River basin ecological protection. 

Noting Qinling's role as China's "central water tower", he called for the CPPCC as a specialized consultative body to play an active role in facilitating cross-regional research, building consensus, and engaging all sides to contribute to the area's high-quality growth.

The meeting's attendees agreed to adopt a two-pronged approach to propel the initiative by seeking State support and strengthening coordination among the seven regions' CPPCC committees. This meeting also represented the latest progress in a key proposal submitted to the Fourth Session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in 2021 that advocated the Qinling initiative.