China's State Council has approved a colla­borative plan for developing the Yellow River Delta region, said a statement published on the central government's website Monday.

The region includes cities in North ­China's Shanxi, Northwest China's Shaanxi and Central China's Henan provinces. The plan aims to build the region into a new growth engine for China's central and ­western areas. 

Local authorities should strengthen cooperation in inter-regional infrastructure development, industrial restructuring, as well as ecological and environmental protection, the statement said.