This brief presents an overview of the policy recommendations prepared under a technical assistance (TA) project of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which provided technical support and policy advice in the formulation and design of the Yangtze River Protection Law (YRPL), 2020 of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).1 The YRPL represents a legislative landmark for strengthening policy and regulatory frameworks to achieve environmental protection and Sustainable Development Goals in the PRC’s largest and most significant river basin.

In reviewing international experiences on river basin management, together with 

the PRC’s own experiences and previous ADB support on ecological restoration and environmental protection in the Yangtze River basin,3 the TA project prepared a series of policy recommendations that were submitted to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) and the National People’s Congress (NPC) to provide technical guidance on the formulation and legislative structure of the law for decision makers. The recommendations covered the following areas: (i) institutional coordination, (ii) policy mechanisms,