China's State Council has approved a colla?borative 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.