Joint cooperation on environmental protection in the past three years between Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province has resulted in significantly improved air quality in the region.
A new travel card will enable passengers to use all metro systems throughout Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province by the end of this year.
The Beijing Commission of Commerce will continue to accelerate the integration of the commercial sector in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province.
The largest port in Chongqing, the biggest city on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, is planning to raise throughput by promoting intermodal transport and improving transshipment efficiency to take advantage of China's "mother river" and become a major international inland port.
A large information database and a pool of expert resources are being built to facilitate the sharing of resources and promote studies on the development of the proposed Yangtze River economic belt.
Experts have called for closer cooperation between the nine provinces and two municipalities along the route of the proposed Yangtze River economic belt to realize the goal of building an international tourism area along the river, in line with proposals presented more than a year ago.
While recent moves to protect the endangered Yangtze finless porpoise, a rare freshwater mammal, have produced some positive results, many concerns remain.
An increasing number of migratory birds, including some species on the endangered list, are overwintering at the Chongming Dongtan Nature Reserve, an important avian habitat on an island in the Yangtze River estuary.
China will put stricter reins on governments and companies, including conducting at least one more large-scale inspection and suspending production in more industries, in a bid to achieve its targets for air pollution control this year.
The top leader in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region put its emergency response system to the test this week before making a surprise visit to the region's public security command center.
Former Hong Kong chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen was sentenced on Wednesday to 20 months in prison for misconduct in public office, making him the highest-ranking former government official in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to be sent to jail.