The challenges China is facing with the rapid growth of urban centres, and the corresponding demands on limited water and related resources, is immense. This is true on the Loess Plateau which covers an area of some 640,000 km² in the upper and middle of China's Yellow River. A workshop on “Efficient Use of Water Resources and Ecological Compensation” was co-organized by GWP China-Yellow River and the Yellow River Research Institute on 27-28 September 2010, in Zhengzhou, Henan Province.

In an effort to boost disaster control and prevention in the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake on May 12, 2008, GWP China proposed and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) funded the project, “Evaluation of Post-quake Rural Water Supply Facilities and Capacity Building.”

A high-level Roundtable on Climate Change and Water Security was held in Beijing on April 8 to address the critical issue of how to ensure water security in the face of climate change. Multiple stakeholder groups were represented by the 112 participants. The meeting was jointly organized by GWP China and the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency.

GWP China and GWP China Shaanxi have been involved in the planning process of the Weihe River Basin Integrated Management Plan. The Weihe River Basin Integrated Management Plan addresses several water challenges and aims to establish a sound foundation for the effective development and protection of water resources in the region.

The High-Level Round Table (HLRT) on Climate Change and Water Security, held in China in April and jointly sponsored by GWP China and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), was another step on the long road to better water policies.

GWP Provincial Water Partnerships in Fujian, Hebei, Hunan and Shaanxi are key players in implementing two rural development policies – The Water Saving Society and The New Countryside Development.

The Way Water Cries, the first documentary series about water issues in China, was broadcasted on CCTV-News Channel during prime time 14-21 October.

GWP Chair Letitia A Obeng visited China 15- 19 October to participate in the High-Level International Forum on Water Resources and Hydropower in Beijing.

Acting Executive Secretary Martin Walshe, together with GWP Senior Adviser Khalid Mohtadullah and Du Zhenkun of GWP China, attended the International Symposium on the Three Gorges Project & Water Resources Development and Protection of the Yangtze River in Yichang City, 28-29 October.