Abstract: The Yangtze River is an important ecological security barrier in China and where the economic barycenter and vitality lies. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, positive progress has been made in the protection and restoration of the Yangtze River under the high promotion of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. The improvement of water quality in the Yangtze River Basin in the last decade was systematically analyzed. The current prominent issues, such as high pressure on water environment pollution control, inefficient utilization of water resources, serious water ecology damage, high risk of water environment, and urgent need to strengthen modern governance capacity, was expounded. It was put forward that it was crucial to implement the spirit of the series of speeches by General Secretary Jinping Xi on promoting the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and coordinate water environment governance, water resources protection, water ecological protection, water risk prevention in new era, especially during the 14th Five-Year Plan Period, which should focus on comprehensive governance, system governance and source governance, continuously improve modern governance capabilities, deeply promote the protection and restoration of the Yangtze River Basin, and tamp the foundation of multi-layer protection, in order to strenuously build an eco-development demonstration belt in which human and nature coexist harmoniously.