China's air, water quality improves in 1st half of 2026

Home

China

World

Politics

Business

Sci-Tech

Health

Opinions

Video

Live

Radio

World Asia-Pacific Middle East Europe Americas Africa

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.

I agree

Visitors paddleboard among metasequoia trees at a forest park, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, east China, July 27, 2026. /VCG

China's air and water quality continued to improve in the first half of this year, as the country strengthened efforts to curb air pollution and protect water resources, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said Tuesday.

Golden rice paddies, villages and roads under a blue sky, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, July 28, 2026. /VCG

The average density of PM2.5 – a key indicator measuring air pollution – came in at 29.9 micrograms per cubic meter in 339 Chinese cities at or above the prefecture level in the January-June period, which was down by 6.6% year on year, ministry spokesperson Pei Xiaofei told at a media conference.

Sunrise colors the sky above a river as mist hangs over the grassland in Hulunbuir, north China's Inner Mongolia, July 27, 2026. /VCG

In the first six months of 2026, 82.8% of days had good air quality, up by 4.5 percentage points from the previous year.

The ministry also revealed that during the period, 87.4% of the surface-water sections and sites monitored by the country were graded Class I to III, indicating good quality, up by 3 percentage points from the same period last year.

Villagers harvest water caltrops at a farm in Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, east China, July 28, 2026. /VCG

China classifies surface water quality into five grades, with Class I being the best quality. During the same period, the proportion of below-Class-V water sections declined 1.2 percentage points to 0.9%.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency

Open in CGTN APP for better experience

Search Trends