China has released its annual report on the conditions of its ecology and environment, providing substantial data and facts on the improvements made since last year.

In a press conference, China's environmental authority says that the situation is improving, but more efforts are needed to maintain that positive trend.

Bai Qiuyong, a senior official from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said that China is in a campaign to protect its blue skies, clean water and soil, and it faces challenges, yet change is underway.

"Last year, the ecological and environmental situation in China improved continuously, and this was reflected in many fields," he said.

According to the report, 338 Chinese cities last year enjoyed more than 79 percent clean air days, up 1.3 percentage points over the previous year.

Seventy-one percent of surface water is now considered of good quality, up about 3 percentage points from last year.

And 45 percent of China's land area meets excellent standards in the ecological and environmental evaluation, a 3 percentage points increase.

This trend is also shown in the nation's maritime environment and radiation levels.

"However, the trend is not stable in general. Even a tiny bit of relaxation would reverse it," Bai warned. 

His attitude is reflected in the stringent measures the ministry has been implementing since it was reorganized a year ago. 

Last year, it handled over 186,000 administrative penalty cases, an increase of 32 percent from 2017. It also advocated a non-waste pilot program in major Chinese cities.

The efforts highlighted by the report show the government's resolve to provide people with a good environment and ecosystem.

Looking back at the past year, the ministry says although major environmental protection goals were achieved, many more challenges still lie ahead, and no one should lose sight of the remaining targets. 

(Cover image via VCG)

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