Though the Yangtze River's transport volume ranks the first among the global inland rivers, it still has remarkable potential, Li said, urging more efforts to improve the river's transport capacity.

He also expected construction of the economic belt would help deepen reforms and opening-up, break administrative division barriers and build a modern market system along the regions of the river.

He highlighted ecological safety and warned against "pollution transfer" brought about by "industry transfer."

Hou Yongzhi, head of the Department of Development Strategy and Regional Economy under the Development Research Center of the State Council, said China's economy must maintain a certain speed to improve people's livelihoods and the Yangtze River economic belt could be a new economic growth pole.

The economy faces downward pressures and the decision on the Yangtze project shows that China pays much attention to the development and opening-up of the landlocked regions, while it is improving the development quality of the coastal east, Hou said.

The regions along the Yangtze are expected to accommodate industries transferred from the coastal east, deepen opening-up and boosting urbanization, Hou said.

The largest difference between the Yangtze River economic belt and other economic zones is that it joins the east, central and west in a natural way and thus can help accelerate the ongoing industry transfer and economic transformation and upgrading, said Wang Jun, an analyst with the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.

Economic belt to drive development westward