China Reports First-Half Ecological Improvement Amid Regional Air Quality Rebound

China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) reported overall improvements in national air and surface water quality for the first half of the year, spokesperson Pei Xiaofei announced during a July 28 press conference. Nationally, average PM2.5 concentrations dropped by 6.6% year-on-year, while the proportion of surface water rated Category I–III reached 87.4%. However, key industrial regions exhibited mixed results: while the Yangtze River Delta and Fenwei Plain recorded air quality gains, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region saw average PM2.5 concentrations rise by 10.6%, highlighting localized environmental challenges.

The first-half monitoring data illustrates broader progress in China’s pollution control efforts while underscoring persistent regional variances. A rebound in PM2.5 levels across the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei industrial corridor suggests that seasonal and industrial pressures remain acute, providing critical baseline data for targeted pollution control and joint regional prevention strategies in the second half of the year.

China experienced an overall improvement in its ecological environment during the first half of the year, marked by falling national particulate pollution and expanding high-quality surface water coverage, according to Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) spokesperson Pei Xiaofei at a press conference on July 28. National air quality metrics showed positive momentum across 339 prefecture-level and above cities. The average concentration of PM2.5 fine particulate matter fell by 6.6% year-on-year to 29.9 micrograms per cubic meter, while PM10 average concentrations decreased by 7.4% to 50 micrograms per cubic meter. The proportion of days enjoying good air quality reached 82.8%, up 4.5 percentage points compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, days with severe or heavy air pollution decreased by 0.5 percentage points to 1.0%. However, regional performance varied across key economic corridors. In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei "2+36" city cluster, average PM2.5 levels rose 10.6% year-on-year to 44.9 micrograms per cubic meter, and severe pollution days slightly increased by 0.1 percentage points to 1.3%, even as good air quality days rose 2.9 percentage points to 61.5%. By contrast, the Yangtze River Delta's 31 cities saw PM2.5 concentrations drop 7.0% to 34.8 micrograms per cubic meter, with good air quality days increasing by 5.1 percentage points to 74.9%. In the Fenwei Plain's 13 cities, PM2.5 levels dropped 1.8% to 37.7 micrograms per cubic meter, and good air quality days rose 8.6 percentage points to 67.5%. Surface water conditions demonstrated steady remediation nationwide. Water sections rated Category I through III—indicating good to excellent quality—accounted for 87.4% of monitored surface water, up 3.0 percentage points year-on-year. Water quality classified as inferior to Category V fell by 1.2 percentage points to 0.9%. Across China's seven major river basins and key river systems, Category I–III sections reached 88.1%, up 3.0 percentage points, while inferior to Category V sections fell to 0.8%. Among 145 key lakes and reservoirs monitored, 75.9% met Category I–III standards, representing a 3.5 percentage point increase year-on-year, while inferior to Category V lakes dropped 0.7 percentage points to 3.4%.