BEIJING, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- China has made historic achievements in river conservation and governance in recent years, a think tank report said on Friday.

The report, titled "Harnessing Rivers for National Prosperity, Public Wellbeing -- A Study on the New Era River Strategy," was released by the National High-Level Think Tank of Xinhua News Agency, and China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research under the Ministry of Water Resources.

China has significantly bolstered flood control, water supply, food security, and ecological safety, laying a more robust foundation for high-quality economic and social development, the report said.

The proportion of flood-related economic losses relative to GDP fell from 0.49 percent during 2005-2014 to 0.23 percent in 2015-2024.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in 2012, while China's GDP has nearly doubled, the total water consumption has remained stable at under 610 billion cubic meters. Water use per 10,000 yuan (about 1,411 U.S. dollars) of GDP and per 10,000 yuan of value-added industrial output has dropped by 52 percent and 63 percent, respectively.

With just 6 percent of the world's freshwater resources, China sustains nearly 20 percent of the global population and generates over 18 percent of global economic output.

China has also witnessed fundamental improvement in river and lake conditions. For instance, deep groundwater levels in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region had risen by 8.46 meters by the end of September 2025 compared with 2018, the report said. ■