Promoting the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt is a major decision and deployment made by the Party Central Committee and the State Council that benefits both the present and the long-term. It is one of the national strategies for promoting coordinated regional development. After nearly 40 years of long-term research and practical exploration，the development strategy of the Yangtze River Economic Belt can be roughly divided into two stages：conception and exploration and comprehensive promotion. In the past five years，the provinces and cities along the Yangtze River and relevant departments have actively implemented national strategies，promoted turning changes in the Yangtze River Economic Belt and achieved historic achievements. In particular，fruitful achievements have been made in the ecological environment protection of the Yangtze River，the construction of comprehensive three-dimensional transportation corridors，and high-quality economic development. However，the problems of imbalance and incoordination within the region still exist，especially in terms of industrial structure and government cooperation. Looking at the requirements of regional coordinated development from a strategic perspective，the Yangtze River Economic Belt should scientifically divide the main functional areas to resolve the problem of industrial homogeneity；break the fragmentation and optimize the ecosystem for industrial development；establish inter-governmental coordination agencies to achieve regional coordinated governance.