China has vowed in-depth efforts in its battle to curb pollution despite the country seeing significant improvement in its ecological environment over the past decade.

A two-day national work conference on ecological and environmental protection closed in Beijing on Friday, in which the Ministry of Ecology and Environment highlighted environmental achievements made by China in the past ten years.

The ministry said air quality in China has greatly improved since 2012, with the average concentration of PM2.5 (tiny particles or droplets in the air that are two and one-half microns or less in width) dropping by 57 percent in major cities across the country.

In 2022, the Chinese capital Beijing, once plagued by heavy air pollution, saw its average PM2.5 concentration falling to 30 micrograms per cubic meter, the lowest level in nearly a decade. All cities in Hebei Province, which borders Beijing and once housed heavily polluting plants, are out of the bottom ten rankings for air quality.

According to the ministry, the overall surface water quality nationwide has been getting increasingly better, with the proportion of sections with Grade I-III surface water increasing by 23.8 percent to hit 87.9 percent in 2022, approaching the level of developed countries.

Water quality of the trunk stream of the Yangtze River, China's longest river, reached Grade II for three consecutive years. And that of the trunk stream of the Yellow River, China's "mother river" and the second longest river, reached Grade II for the first time.

The proportion of coastal waters with good water quality increased by 17.6 percentage points in 2022. Black-odor water bodies have been basically eliminated in all Chinese cities, effectively guaranteeing safe drinking water for the people.

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment also said that it will step up efforts to battle against pollution in 2023, with key measures to be taken.

To maintain good air quality, it will push the construction of natural gas pipelines and other infrastructure facilities for clean winter heating in northern China. It will help key industrial enterprises achieve ultra-low emissions through technological upgrading, implement the joint prevention and control mechanism against air pollution in key areas, and launch an action plan to control noise pollution.

To preserve water resources, the ministry will carry out an assessment of the ecological environment of the Yangtze River Delta, comprehensively restore the environment of the tributaries of the Yellow River, launch campaigns to eliminate black-odor water bodies in all county-level areas and consolidate and enhance the capacity in ensuring safe drinking water.

To protect land resources, the ministry will strengthen efforts to control soil and groundwater pollution, continue to improve the living environment of rural areas, enhance capacity in monitoring and recycling hazardous waste, initiate pilot projects to deal with new forms of pollutants and intensify efforts to prevent and control heavy metal pollution in key industries.

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