This paper analyzes the global legislation on river basins, especially the Rhine River protection convention in Europe and the Tennessee River basin authority act in the United States, and evaluates the legislation on river basins by analyzing the changes in the economic environment of the river basins. The relevant experience of foreign watershed legislation is obtained by integrating the watershed legislation of various countries. Based on the relevant experience of global watershed legislation and the characteristics of China's Yangtze River economic belt and Yangtze River basin, this paper discusses the legislative model, principles, main contents and other parts of the Yangtze River law. According to the experience of global watershed legislation, the Yangtze River law is not only feasible but also necessary for the Yangtze River economic belt. This paper argues that can set up a unified management, ecological protection, economic incentives and economic impetus, five principles, national regulation should include: general provisions, ownership, and the water rights, the comprehensive utilization of water resources, channel management, water project construction and management, water ecology, water environmental protection, prevention and control of water pollution, the Yangtze River economic belt economy trade dispute processing, water management, water blame compensate, bylaws, a total of 11 chapters.