@@1 Inseparability between the Yangtze River and regional development 1.1 The Yangtze River links up the east, central and west parts of China 9The Yangtze River, the largest river in China and the third largest in the world, spans three major economic zones, East, Central and Southwest China economic zones, and comprises 19 provinces with its mainstream running across 11 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. The mainstream receives water from more than 3600 tributaries which involve 742 cities and counties. The Yangtze River has nurtured five millennia of the Chinese Civilization and hundreds of millions of Chinese people. The Yangtze River is strategically important for today's China, especially in supporting the implementation of national strategies, such as "Developing West Regions", " Central Regions Rising" and "East Regions Taking the Lead in Development". It is the vital nexus integrating coordinated socio-economic development of the regions in the basin.
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