Chinese Vice Premier Huang Ju on Monday urged provinces along the Yangtze River to work together to build the river into a "golden channel."

The Yangtze River, the longest river in China, whose throughput accounts for 80 percent of inland water transport, has been the "golden channel" for the Chinese since ancient times.

At a meeting held by the Ministry of Communications and nine provincial governments along the river, Huang approved the efforts that the provinces have made to improve the navigation situation.

"The Yangtze River has become the business navigating river with the largest throughput in the world and an important power for the development of the regional economy," Huang said.

Linking the western, eastern and central China, this region should play an important role in coordinating the development of these parts, Huang said.

Huang urged the provinces to coordinate with each other to push the regional economy forward and build a competitive shipping market.

The nine provinces and municipalities include Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Chongqing, Sichuan and Yunnan.

(Xinhua News Agency November 29, 2005)