China makes steady gains in ecological conservation and green transition

This photo taken on Nov. 20, 2025 shows the scenery of the Yamzbog Yumco Lake in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Li Jian)

China has made solid progress in ecology and environment protection during its 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), marked by sustained improvements in many ways.

Contributing a quarter of the world's new green areas since 2000, China's forest coverage rate has risen to 25.09 percent, underscoring steady advances in large-scale afforestation and ecological restoration programs. Meanwhile, the country's forest stock volume has reached 20.99 billion cubic meters, hitting the 2030 target ahead of schedule.

Water quality has also seen notable improvement. In 2024, 90.4 percent of national surface water monitoring sections met good water quality standards, surpassing 90 percent for the first time.

Efforts to restore key ecosystems have also yielded results. China has rehabilitated more than 2.4 million mu (160,000 hectares) of abandoned mines, restored 820 kilometers of coastline, repaired 760,000 mu (about 50,667 hectares) of coastal wetlands during the period of time and has cumulatively treated 105 million mu (7 million hectares) of desertified land, strengthening its capacity to combat desertification and land degradation.

Chinese cities have reported steady progress in air quality. In 2024, in cities at and above the prefecture level, the average PM2.5 density, a key indicator of air pollution, dropped to 29.3 micrograms per cubic meter, down 16.3 percent from 2020. And the proportion of days with good air quality increased 2.4 percentage points from 2020 to 87.2 percent, reflecting continued efforts to curb pollution and promote cleaner production and lifestyles.

China has also made rapid strides in green energy development. By the end of June 2025, the country's installed capacity of renewable energy had reached 2.159 billion kilowatts, further consolidating its position as a global leader in renewable power generation.

In parallel, China has established the world's largest carbon emissions trading market, a key institutional tool aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions through market-based mechanisms and advancing the country's climate goals.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China advanced the implementation of major biodiversity conservation projects, effectively safeguarding 90 percent of terrestrial ecosystem types and 74 percent of key wild animal and plant populations.

Looking ahead to the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), China will continue to accelerate the building of a Beautiful China, where humans and nature coexist in harmony.