In the practice of water management in China, natural water systems and artificial water transfer projects have been coupled and interconnected to form the main skeleton and arteries of the national water network, known as the “four horizontals and three verticals”, and water network construction has entered the stage of high-quality development. Under this background and the framework of the Guideline on National Water Network Construction, considering the current development status and basic composition of water network projects, this paper proposes that water network projects should be positioned on synthetical and multi-dimensional regulation of water resources, summarizes multiple characteristics in the high-quality development process and also analyzes the main issues in the planning, design, construction and operation of water network projects at the present stage. In light of the objective to construct a safe, efficient, green and orderly water network, some scientific ideas are presented for high-quality development of water network projects, including respecting and following nature, integrating multiple effects with a focus on capability, systematic planning and multi-level synergy, establishing mechanisms prior to project construction, forward-looking deployment and step-by-step advancement, and ensuring sustainable utilization with priority given to artesian flow.