Environmental Protection: China releases annual report on ecology & environment

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02:13

China has released its annual report on the conditions of its ecology & environment, providing substantial data and facts on the improvements from last year. In a press conference, China's environmental authority says that the situation is improving, but more efforts are needed to maintain the trend. Zheng Yibing has more.

China is in a campaign to protect its blue skies, clean water and soil.

It faces challenges, yet change is underway, according to an annual report released Wednesday by the nation's environmental authority.

BAI QIUYONG, SENIOR OFFICIAL CHINESE MINISTRY OF ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT "Last year, the ecological and environmental situation in China improved continuously, and this was reflected in many fields."

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.

71 percent of surface water is now considered of good quality, up about three percentage points from last year.

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

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

BAI QIUYONG, SENIOR OFFICIAL CHINESE MINISTRY OF ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT "However, the trend is not stable in general. Even a tiny bit of relaxation would reverse it."

Bai's attitude is reflected in the tough measures the ministry has been implementing, since it was reorganized a year ago with more tasks.

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 report and efforts behind it show the resolve to bring people a good environment and eco-system.

ZHENG YIBING BEIJING "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 goals. Zheng Yibing, CGTN, Beijing."