China will continue to improve its ecological environment by promoting green and low-carbon development, Premier Li Keqiang said as he delivered the government work report at the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing on Saturday.

China will strengthen comprehensive ecological and environmental governance, and more efforts will be made to prevent and control pollutants in the air, soil and water, according to Li. China will protect biodiversity, he added, and develop the system of nature-protected areas with national parks as the main focus.

The premier said China will continue to target a peak in carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality as planned, and implement the action plan of carbon dioxide emissions. The development and application of green and low-carbon technologies will be promoted, and projects with high energy consumption, high emissions and low quality will be curbed, he added.

(Cover: A reservoir in Yichang City, central China's Hubei Province. /CFP)