China records cleaner air and better surface water in early 2026

China recorded cleaner air and better surface-water quality from January through July 2026, according to figures presented by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. Nationwide average concentrations of fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, fell by 1.8 micrograms per cubic metre from a year earlier, a 6.2% decline. The share of days rated as having good air quality rose by 3.9 percentage points.

Water indicators also moved in a positive direction. At monitored surface-water sections, 86.5% met Class I to III standards, the three highest grades in China’s system, up 2.4 percentage points year on year. The ministry said more than 6,000 pollution problems affecting small water bodies near communities had been investigated and addressed. Water quality in the main channels of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers remained at Class II.

The gains come as China begins a new five-year environmental plan spanning seven priority areas and 20 major projects. Officials said future work will include stronger action on air, water and soil pollution, closer monitoring of smaller waterways, and measures targeting heavy-pollution weather and contaminated local water bodies. They also cautioned that air-pollution control must continue.